Second Wind
by zshep
Summary: A new big bad is in town, people start disappearing, can Bo save the day this time? AU. Reimagining of how Bo & Lauren met. Includes most characters from the series.
1. When You Were Young

The incessant buzzing from her phone woke her but stopped the moment she reached for it. The brunette thanked her lucky stars for the minute reprieve, diving back into her fortress of dreams and blankets. A mere moment later, her phone began to buzz again. She glared at the offending object but it offered no apology as it buzzed and flashed, requiring her attention. She cursed silently as she picked it up.

"What?" Beth growled into the phone. She was not a morning person, she never has been.

"Your crankiness is showing, Dennis," came Karen's voice. "Get your ass out of bed. I'm downstairs!"

"Shit, what time is it?" Beth groaned as she leapt reluctantly from her bed.

"The math paper starts in an hour, so hurry your ass down now!"

"Okay, see you in a bit."

Beth hopped into the shower for a quick rinse. As she toweled herself off, she had a minor fashion dilemma but she settled on the dark, low-cut top she knew would get her the attention she wanted from Karen. Rushing out of her house, the brunette held her shoes in one hand and her tote bag in the other. She hollered a goodbye to her mother as she jumped into the blonde's car.

"Took you long enough," Karen mock-scolded and began their drive to school. "You take the longest showers ever!"

"I won't apologise for wanting to look good for my girlfriend," Beth retorted after giving Karen a kiss on her cheek. "Morning baby."

"Good morning," Karen smiled, taking her eyes off the road to look at her girlfriend. "And you're looking mighty fine too."

"Keep your eyes on the road, sweetheart," Beth admonished while putting on her shoes. "Don't want to die before math has the chance to kill me."

"Puh-lease. I could drive better than you with my eyes closed," Karen rolled her eyes.

"A challenge, Beattie?" Beth leaned over and began an assault on the blonde's neck.

Her tongue teased and flicked across the spots she knew to be sensitive to the blonde, and she was right when she was rewarded with a moan. Her hands moved to massage Karen's inner thigh, brushing her heated core through the jeans and the blonde whimpered in response. Fingers began to undo buttons and zippers and soon, her hands were free to explore the drenched material. Beth loved how much she affected Karen, the scent of her arousal flooded her senses as the air surrounding her seemingly grew brighter. Her fingers expertly stroked the hardening bud, drawing guttural groans and purrs from the flushed blonde. The car swerved violently as she slipped two fingers into Karen. Beth chuckled, only to earn a glare from the blonde. She continued her ministrations - her thumb rubbing her clit and her fingers moving in and out of her.

"So close," the blonde breathed and for a moment Beth was unsure if she referred to the destination or her pending orgasm.

"I love you, Karen Beattie," Beth said as she curled her fingers deep inside the blonde.

In turn, the blonde climaxed from the intensity of the moment. The once-solid grip she had on the car now diminished as she squeezed her eyes shut from the earth-shattering orgasm that continued to wash over her. She jammed the brakes, lurching them both forward before jerking them back, causing the same thing to happen with the fingers within her, making her moan Beth's name out loud again. The fingers slipped out of her and into Beth's mouth, tasting and seducing Karen at the same time. Cars began to honk behind them as the blonde came down slowly from her euphoria. Beth shot up out of the window to give them a piece of her mind - the finger - with her free hand.

"I love you too, Beth Dennis," Karen finally replied after catching her breath.

Beth took the moment in, internalizing each nuance and movement the blonde made. It was not the first time they had proclaimed their love for each other, but this marked something bigger. One might call it a rite of passage to their relationship where they have deepened their bond and could strike a place off their public sex list; to college where they could live their lives free of the petty, small-minded people who lived in their little town; to their natural instincts of hiding behind masks of heteronormative behaviour. It just felt like something bigger.

Loving Karen was easy. Falling in love with her was easier. There was nothing that could have prepared the brunette when she first saw the blonde. It was an instant attraction and she was mesmerized. The sexy, intelligent blonde was awkward and geeky, always flailing blindly in social settings. That was where Beth found her, rescuing her from their clique of high-school mean girls. Though Beth was never one to pick a side, she had good rapport with everyone. The early onset of puberty helped move things along, especially with the jocks despite their cheerleader girlfriends protesting.

They hid their relationship behind the false facade of normal relationships - Karen with her books and Beth with Kyle Williams, the star quarterback from their high school. Beth knew it hurt the blonde whenever she was with Kyle in school but constantly assured her that once they moved out of this one-horse town, they could be together without the bigoted intolerance of its people. This was why she needed to finish high school fast, and move to whichever college the blonde was accepted to, so she could be with her girlfriend freely.

The brunette knew she was not a genius like Karen, she knew she might never be able to join Karen in the fancy medical school she wanted to get to. She was street-smart; not book-smart. She knew that the business courses there were quite prestigious as well and wanted to try for it. She was literally willing to do anything to get out and start a life devoid of this place. Their town was getting too small for her.

"Beth?" Karen's voice pulled her from her reverie. "We've got five minutes! Hurry your cute butt up!"

Beth could not help but giggle at her girlfriend as they hopped out of the car and closed the doors simultaneously. Her life was perfect, and even at seventeen, she knew this girl was going to be the one she was going to spend her life with, and no one was going to stop her.

* * *

"I want you to stop seeing her!" Eric Beattie yelled. "It's not right! It's revolting!"

Karen glared at her father. He had no say in her life, as much as he was good to her. He had fed and clothed her, spoken to her and given her adequate advice. He taught her the value of life and instilled the passion of learning. He read her and her brother bedtime stories when they were younger; baked all sorts of goodies together; watched bad B-films together; criticized the hell out of them together. That was all wonderful until he brought that woman with a literal holier-than-thou, bible-thumping attitude into their lives.

Jaina was at most in her late 40s, her head was always tilted an inch higher than necessary, her lips always pursed into a thin snarl, her eyes held too much arrogance. The strong, entitled, almost pushy way she had come on to her father barely a year after her mother had passed was a little too much for her to handle. Karen could only watch in horror as the woman clung tightly to Eric. She swore she would protect her younger brother even if it meant working doubly hard in school to get to Yale and bringing him along. It was clear to Karen that her new stepmother married in for the wealth her father had, there was no love there. That was one reason she loathed the woman, and one that she loved Beth fiercely for. Even knowing that she came from money, Beth never made her feel like she was after Karen as a sugar mommy, unwilling to let her pay for dates even if it meant starving for the rest of the month.

Beth was everything Karen was not. She agreed with the age-old adage that opposites attract and sure enough, they did. Beth was the vibrant, country girl that everyone loved. She was more street savvy and knew the way around the typical social cues while Karen could barely make out what to do with a handshake. Not to say that Karen was dull, she was just not the girl with the charming magnetism. Beth had reminded her time and again that she was brilliantly funny and intuitive, though she had trouble believing that the brunette did not check the thesaurus for the latter word. Karen almost smiled at the memory before being brought back to the moment by her father.

"Are you listening to me, young lady?" Eric hollered again. "You will stop seeing her at once."

"What I'll do is see who I want," Karen retorted after letting out a frustrated grunt. "You got to see who you wanted."

"I'm a man! And Jaina's a woman!" Eric huffed, as though that explained everything.

Karen rolled her eyes. She knew if it was not for Jaina, her relationship with Beth would not have been exposed, much less a hot topic among the gossip in their tiny town. She had probably caught them during their little sexcapade on the way to school on the last day of exams. Karen wondered briefly if she was at fault; maybe she had screamed Beth's name a little too loudly. Or maybe it was their continued session behind the bleachers. Karen did not know where the sneaky bitch was hiding when she found out about them and told Mr. Fischer, their principal. Of course, she had to run to the principal - not to Eric or Karen herself, but the principal - making the entire thing blow up quite quickly without the added help of the rumour mill. The moment school had ended that day, the two girls were met with whispers and stares - the unofficial scarlet letters of a high school.

"Your father is right," Jaina cut in, voice dripping in saccharine. "Two girls together, it's disgu -"

"_You're_ disgusting," Karen spat back heatedly before turning to her father. "I can't believe you married this gold-digger."

Karen smirked at the shock on her parents' faces before she turned to stomp upstairs. Her father grabbed her wrist, roughly spinning her around to face her parents, "You see her again, I swear I will -"

"What? Ground me? Kick me out? What's the worst you could do, huh?" Karen all but yelled, pulling away from the man. "As though marrying this shrew wasn't enough!"

* * *

Beth knew that this was going to be hard but she did not predict that the pain she saw on Karen's face when they passed each other in the hallways. She wanted to protect Karen, she wanted to wipe the slate clean and remove all the brands the heartless teenagers have placed upon the two girls. And the only way she knew how to right this wrong was to dispel the rumours and show that Karen and her had nothing going on.

Kyle draped his arm lazily around Beth as they walked with the football team, surrounding them like bodyguards to a star couple. As they passed Karen, Beth averted her eyes from the beautiful blonde. She knew those soft, honey-brown eyes were following her with such pain and she just could not bear seeing it. The rest of the team provoked Karen with rude signs and names. Beth flinched when she heard the names as though she felt them cut directly into her. In a way, they were throwing vulgar threats at her too. She wanted to yell at the childish boys to stop their taunting but the worst insult of it all was when Kyle stopped right in front of Karen and kissed Beth for the world to see.

"That's what a real man can do, Beattie," Kyle drawled as the group behind him cheered. He leaned in towards Karen, one hand on the locker behind her and continued with a wink, "You know where to find me."

Pulling the quarterback away, Beth felt the disgust for the boy deepen. One, did he just offer himself to the love of her life as though he was a gift from the gods? Two, did he just offer to cheat on her in front of the school? Goddess, this boy was barely smarter than a rock.

From the corner of her eye, Beth could see the blonde shaking, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She wanted so badly to wipe away the hurt, to promise her love, to protect the broken girl. But for the sake of appearances, and her unadmitted cowardice, she just could not.

Kyle pulled her away before she could think. Turning her head before they rounded the corner, her heart shattered as she watched her girlfriend run into the washroom with a tear-stained face.

* * *

The month went by quickly, soon it was prom. Karen managed to lay low and acquire a date for the last event of the year. She was grateful that it was the final affair marking her horrendous high school life before she embarked onto the next part of it.

The situation at home was now more tense than ever, she rarely came out of her room and even when she did, she only spoke to her younger brother Darren. She could not understand the narrow-mindedness of the people in this town, much less her father who had raised her to love life as it was. The conflicting attitude displayed by Eric made Karen feel like she had been betrayed by the only man she ever loved. To add on an extra dose of insanity, Jaina and Eric began to pray for her whenever she entered the room.

Thankfully the teasing and taunting in school had died down, though the girls were behaving childishly in their shared locker room, treating Karen like a sexual predator. Karen could only roll her eyes at them, because nakedness was precisely why she fell in love with Beth.

Beth.

It was definitely much more difficult with everyone watching both the two girls' interactions with great interest. Beth had yet to say a word to her, except her forlorn, apologetic glances when they passed each other during school. She could not believe that the brunette had stood for the way Kyle treated both of them. She understood that reputation was everything in a school setting, and at every opportunity, it was a popularity contest. But Beth had put her own reputation before the dignity of her, albeit secret, girlfriend! The shame, hurt, and disappointment she felt that day was impossible to describe. How she managed to endure the last month was quite a miracle.

Right now while she was sure of her feelings for Beth, she was not sure of Beth's. In fact, it was more intense now that she could not physically touch or hear from her girlfriend. She was in love with her, she knew for sure as illogical as it may be. She understood how the chemical reactions that happen in the brain whilst falling in love, how the pupils dilate upon meeting the person, how the heart pumps faster when seeing them. But somewhere deeper within her, she knew that Beth was the one for her, she just could not understand how she knew it.

The doorbell rang, drawing her from her thoughts. Brian Cole, her date, was at her door. The strapless, sea-breeze dress fitted her beautifully. She quickly donned her heels and twirled before a mirror once more, appraising her appearance. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she descended the stairs. Her prom date was a lanky, bespectacled boy who became her lab partner once Mr. Fischer removed Beth from her side. He was sitting in the den uncomfortably while Eric interrogated him and Jaina served lemonade.

"Hey Brian," Karen called out to the teenager, ignoring her parents.

All three turned and began their praise for the Karen. The blonde boy placed the white corsage on her wrist before they stiffly posed for the camera Eric had fished out of the closet. After assuring Eric and Jaina Beattie that their daughter would be home before midnight, the prom couple made their way to the school hall.

They were greeted by flashing lights, disco hits, and a horde of colourful dresses. Brian excused himself to get them both drinks while Karen stood along the side of the hall, glancing at the crowd. Everyone was having fun, talking and joking around, laughing and dancing. It was the highlight of their high school life and they were taking in every moment.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a familiar silhouette. Beth was in a corner alone, probably waiting for Kyle to grab drinks. She looked so beautiful with her hair tied up high, dark smokey eye makeup, and a pair of simple hoop earrings that highlight the black dress she was in. The strapless dress clung to her in all the right places, accenting her assets nicely. Karen found herself licking her lips in slight anticipation, biting her lower lip while maintaining her gaze at Beth. All she wanted to do right now was take her there and then, to hell with all these people. She wanted to tear that dress that barely held anything right off her and just have her way with Beth. She wanted to run her tongue down the valley her ample chest created. She could scarcely hold it together as she felt her libido spike. Her breath hitched when Beth turned to look right back at her. Just as she was ready to take a step towards the brunette, Brian returned with their drinks.

"They only have punch," Brian offered her a cup of obscenely pink liquid.

Karen forced a smile, nodding her thanks before sipping the cool drink to calm her heightened arousal. Brian began to talk but Karen could not concentrate on a word he was saying; she was just glancing over his shoulder. As if it was scripted, Kyle had returned with their drinks as well as a few of his friends. She felt a burning jealousy sear through her as Kyle wrapped his arms around the brunette she was so in love with. She frowned and ground her teeth.

"Karen, is something wrong?" Brian asked, intoning concern.

"No, no," Karen turned her attention to the gentle boy. "Shall we dance?"

Brian smiled, saying he would be right back as he took their cups to dispose. Again she stood alone in the school hall among hundreds of students happily interacting with each other, while the love of her life was being felt up by her sleazy, fake boyfriend. Karen could not decide which was worse, that she thought that she saw the brunette enjoying it or that Beth had seen her but made no desire to communicate with her. Again she felt the disappointment in her rise; again she felt the anger boil; again she felt used and betrayed.

A whole lot of songs and awkward prom dancing later, Karen thanked Brian for their night, giving him a pat on the shoulder instead of the typical kiss on the cheek. She decided to walk home, needing the fresh air to clear her head. One week from now, she would be off to Yale. She was going to make full use of the week to spend time with her brother and hopefully Beth. After tonight, she really did not know where their relationship stood. The lack of emotion and attention from Beth tonight was painful. She thought of the loving brunette and felt the overwhelming need to bury her head in a pillow and cry.

As she walked home, wallowing in her thoughts, she stopped when she heard her name called.

"Karen!"

Karen turned to find Beth standing under a street light, more beautiful than ever. The orange glow of the lamp gave her a surreal halo, emphasizing her high cheekbones and sharp features. At that moment, Karen knew she was never going to stop loving this girl, let alone forget her. She backtracked towards Beth, looking out for prying eyes.

Not a single word was said when Beth took Karen's hand gingerly and lead them both towards the old barn off Main Street. Not a single word was said when they began kissing softly and gently. Not a single word was said when hands roamed their bodies. Their fingers mapped each other's lines and curves, tracing lazy patterns across the bared skin. The mouths readily engulfed each other's, teeth clashing and tongues fighting for control as the kisses began to get feverish.

With their clothes peeled off and pooled at their feet, both girls fell back on a bale of hay. Karen just could not get enough of the brunette. She wanted to talk to her but this was more important. She knew that this was not just about sex, this was about the intimacy they both craved, the reassurance they both needed. She moaned softly as she felt how wet Beth was; she knew she was no better. She arched her back when the brunette took one nipple in her mouth, flicking it gently with her tongue. Her fingers automatically circled the girl's clit, making her release her own teased nipple with a hard suck. Beth smirked at her before diving back down to nip at the unattended nipple. Karen moaned again, shifting to accommodate the brunette better. But all she did was place Beth's legs comfortably between her own, letting her grind into the girl's thigh. The blonde pulled the brunette back up, deeply gazing into her eyes before kissing her.

"So beautiful," breathed Beth as she tucked stray blonde hair behind her lover's ear. "I love you, Karen Beattie, forever."

"Forever," the blonde repeated. "I love you forever Beth Dennis."

If they had both not gotten lost in the haze of lust so hastily again, the blonde might have noticed Beth's eyes flashing an electric blue and her own eyes responding with a green glow.

And with that, the night began.

* * *

Beth got ready for her date with Kyle Williams. Well, at least that was her cover. She was going to meet the boy for a while before meeting Karen. The night before was more than magical. The tension between them had been thick, even in the school hall. She watched Karen walk in with her doofus of a date, Brian Cole and wanted to walk over and punch his lights out. She imagined that Karen would have wanted to do the same with Kyle. But for the sake of appearance, she decided against it. It was not Karen's fault and she knew it. No one wanted to go to prom alone, especially not after being labelled a lesbian. Karen turning up with Brian actually doused some of the rumours, which lead to Beth being so confident and cocky about their night together.

A car horn sounded outside and Beth knew Kyle was waiting for her. She smoothed her jeans down and hopped into the car. She avoided the incoming greeting kiss, letting it land on her cheek. She smiled sweetly at the boy before strapping the seatbelt over her.

"Where are we going, babe?" Kyle asked, not picking up on her lack of intimacy.

"Just need you to drop me off at the diner if you don't mind," Beth said. "I know you have a boy's night, but do you mind picking me up after?"

"Sure, but let's go somewhere first," Kyle grinned. "You know, you left me quite early last night."

"Sorry, Kyle," Beth apologised. She really did not want to hurt the boy, despite him only being a cover for her real relationship. "I was tired so I went home."

The car stopped at one of the offroads next to a large field. Beth looked at the quarterback curiously as he unbuckled his belt and leaned over his seat. Suddenly it occurred to her what was going to happen. How was she going to repel his advances so as to not gain suspicion? And how fast can she do it? She was going to meet Karen in less than 15 minutes. If she had known that this was on Kyle's mind, she would have left the house earlier.

It was not the first time that she made out with the blonde boy. In fact, she had to do it in school to maintain her false relationship with him. Not that she did not enjoy the attention, she just wished it was Karen's lips on hers when it happened. And she did think about the girl whenever Kyle initiated. She had spent so much time with her that she could actually enjoy a make-out session with Kyle without feeling too uncomfortable.

But this time it was different. They had moved to the back seat and his hands were wandering across her body. She knew she was cheating on her girlfriend for nobler purposes but she still felt disgusted with herself. And it was worse when her body reacted. Her breathing began to hitch and she felt an insane hunger grow in her, one she had never felt before. A warmth began to spread through her as she reversed the positions they were in. She straddled the boy and kissed him, until she tasted something unnaturally sweet in her mouth. She pulled away briefly to see that there was a stream of luminescent blue wisps pouring out of the boy's mouth. She was definitely hallucinating. She looked at him and his eyes were glazed over while his lips were turning upwards into a sick grin. The transfer began to slow and stop.

"Kyle?" Beth whispered, lightly slapping the boy. "You okay?"

Searching for a pulse, Beth started to panic when there was none. She slapped the boy harder. She shook him. She punched him. She kneed his crotch. Not a single response from the boy.

"No," she whispered to no one in particular. "No, no, no, no, no!"

Kyle was not breathing. Had she killed someone? And she did not even know how she did it. What was that blue thing that she took from him? Could she pass it back? She tried doing it but nothing happened. She was sick to her stomach. She felt like she was going to throw up. Tears began to flow down her cheeks in sheer panic and horror. What was she going to do?

She grabbed her clothes and ran for her home. She needed to talk to her parents. She needed to tell someone. Maybe someone could help her. She saw her parents in the dining room and she made a beeline for it.

"Momma!" Beth cried, throwing herself into the older woman's arms. A look of confusion and alarm was shared between the two older Dennises.

"What's wrong, pumpkin?" Sam Dennis spoke first. "Did someone hurt you?"

Beth could not stop crying. The comfort her mother provided was more substantial than any other possible form of relief. She was thankful for her parents, but she really did not know how to start the conversation without revealing to them that she had been intimate with people.

"I was with Kyle," the brunette sniffed, hoping to leave out as many details as possible. "And I think I killed him."

"What? How? What were you doing with the Williams' boy?" Mary Dennis asked.

"We were in his car…" her voice trailed off. She really did not want to continue.

"You were screwing, weren't you?" Mary snapped suddenly, pushing her daughter away from her. "You dirty slag! You whore! You were doing the devil's work!"

Beth stared bewildered at the woman. What the fuck? Here she was requesting for help from people older and more experienced than her but her mother was being ridiculous! All she could focus on was that she was fooling around, instead of the obvious problem of a dead body! One moment she held Beth like she was the most precious commodity in the world, the next moment she pushed Beth away as though she was nauseated by her. It did not make her feel better, since she was feeling pretty much like a monster now.

"First it was Karen, and now this! Just look at what your filthy fornication has done! I told you to stay away you devil child! I want you gone! I want you out of my house! Out!" Mary screamed at the girl.

Beth was still staring slack-jawed at the woman. She was rooted to the ground at the sudden outburst. Never in her life had she felt so ashamed and repulsed by herself. The words rang in her ears, her heart breaking a little more each time.

Shaking her head in confusion, Beth backed away from her parents. They did not want her any more. They chased her out of her house; the very house she grew up in. They hated her, just as much as she hated herself. She was a monster. She was a devil. What the hell was happening?

Beth took off into the night, never looking back at the small town while Karen waited patiently in the diner with two glasses of iced hot chocolate, counting the seconds till she saw her girlfriend again.


	2. Strangers Again

**10 years later**

It was quiet. Calming as it was, it was odd. Flames flickered, shifting shadows in every direction. A bellowing explosion could be heard; its effects felt in her core. The brunette braced herself, knowing that the next charge was in the basement and set to go off in four seconds. Another muted shockwave rumbled deep in the building. She smiled despite the numbing pain; everything was going according to plan. Soon, there would not be a single trace of the monstrosity that lay crumpled next to her. She did not fight fate, or the blackness that threatened to consume her. In fact, this time she welcomed it, but not just yet.

The hybrid Naga-Garuda had shrivelled up when the brunette succubus extracted its remaining _chi _but not before the hideous beast grinned menacingly at her, taunting her once more before it became a dried prune. What the brunette did not know then was that a beast of that size and magnitude, one that had lived for over two millennia, was indeed filled with _chi _but not the type she was used to. It was toxic and poisonous and within the half-minute she had taken it in, her body had begun to die. She definitely felt it now when she lay on the ground beside her best friend, who was safe, albeit a little bruised and cut up.

She wanted to chuckle at the irony of this moment: she was actually going to die before her best friend, her best _human_ friend. She had always prepared herself for when Kenzi grew too old and frail for what adventures life had in store for them, but she never considered the possibility of her best friend outliving her own fae genetics. She could have easily lived through several of Kenzi's lifetimes and still would be as feisty as she was now. Bloody hybrid toxin! She craned her neck upwards to see that Kenzi was safe in the corner; knocked-out but safe. She battled the almost-overwhelming darkness; she needed to see her best friend conscious once more before she embarked on her next journey.

Earlier, she had followed Kenzi's scream to the inner sanctum to be completely horrified that the huge creature was ready to end Kenzi's life, baring the millions of teeth in its fiery mouth. She reached Kenzi first and threw her out of the way, possibly into a nearby wall and delivered a quick jab to the hybrid's face, causing sufficient distraction.

She realized her mistake quickly: she did not know how to kill it. Despite alternating between parrying and dodging, one of the hybrid's long talons pierced her defences and found its way to her chest. She knew it missed her heart but she also knew that this was her last chance at an attack as the talon retracted painfully from her body, ready for its next assault. The breath was literally squeezed out of her as she was lifted off the ground. In her moment of panic, she did what every succubus would do and pulled _chi _from the unholy monster, not realizing that her wounds were not healing like they usually would as her focus was on ending the goddamn hybrid's life.

It had worked.

But at the cost of her life. Her body was dying and she knew it. It was getting harder and harder to breathe; there was virtually no feeling in her body as she lied there in a pool of her own blood. And in a pool of her own regrets. Sure, she was going to miss Kenzi a lot and she was sure it would be reciprocated, despite the short-time they had spent together. A rare friendship like that was eternally binding, and there was not a single doubt that it was all fate and great timing.

She laid there, breathing softly and thought about her current family - Kenzi, Trick, Hale, Dyson. Her own dysfunctional yet merry little band of riffraff, broken in their own ways but whole as a family. She wished she had more time, but death was never on anyone else's schedule but his own.

Funny how dying makes people reminisce. She thought of Mary and Sam Dennis and the loving family they tried to create. She knew if she was any other girl, that warm foster family in that small town would have lasted her a lifetime. But still, she would never have been happy, not like when she found her first true love and had to pretend under the pretence of religion and social norms that Karen was "just a friend".

How she planned and planned for her big break in the city, finally able to take Karen with her and just escape the narrow-minded prejudices that haunted the small town. How she had to pretend to be in love with Kyle Williams, the star quarterback of their high school. How she was surprised when there was a change in her body the night when Kyle had driven her home and started to kiss her. How betrayed she felt as her body reacted against her will. How she thought of Karen through it all. How she ran when she had drained the boy of all his _chi_. How she never thought of looking back to find Karen.

She felt a tear escape to the side of her face. She had so many things to do, so many wrongs to right. Maybe it was the pressure of her impending death, or maybe those thoughts were swirling in her mind before. She did not know, neither did she care because she was now helpless, on the floor, regretting that she never told Karen how much she loved her and how sorry she was about leaving her without a word. She knew she had unconsciously compared all her relationships with Karen, having raised the bar so high that nothing and no one came close to making her as happy. If only she could see that awkward, geeky blonde she loved so much once more.

She was roused from her nostalgia when her senses prickled as she heard hurried footsteps fill the room.

"Bo!" A familiar voice exclaimed. "What the fuck?"

She managed to focus on Dyson, the wolf shifter who was her friend and on-again-off-again lover. She winced when he put pressure on the gaping hole in her chest, commanding his team to search and rescue the other survivors. An explosion went off somewhere much closer. All was going according to plan, two more and this place and its disturbing memories would be wiped clean off the earth.

"Bo," Dyson urged. "Take what you need."

He kissed her, willing her to take whatever _chi _that she required to heal. Bo did not hesitate and pulled long and hard, desperately inhaling the much-needed life force. The glowing blue _chi _left Dyson's mouth and she eagerly accepted but nothing happened. It simply avoided her mouth, as though repelled, and disappeared into the air like smoke.

Dyson realized it as well, his usual broody manner now replaced by a panic she had not seen before. They tried it again and the same thing happened. Her body refused to take in anything. In some weird way, she understood why that happened: her body was dying and even if Dyson's _chi_ had been exceptional, it would never replace her dying cells fast enough before the toxin took over again.

"What the fuck?" Dyson repeated. "What happened, Bo?"

Bo knew the wolf could not carry her out of here, for fear that shifting her might cause her sustained wounds to rip and tear, doing more harm than good. His frown indicated that he understood that as well and was conflicted at what was the best course of action. Dyson hollered another order at his team, one she could not hear. Her body was succumbing to the darkness, she needed to do this fast. She turned to look at Kenzi, who was beginning to stir from her unconscious state. Hale, Dyson's cop partner, hovered protectively over her.

"D-Dyson," Bo choked out. "Listen to me."

"Save your strength," Dyson looked back down at her. "You're going to be okay."

"N-No, Dyson," a wave of pain coursed through her as she gritted her teeth, trying not to give in to the blackness that tightened its grip on her. "Listen. I need you to take care of Kenzi. I need you to take her away from here. There are two more charges rigged to go off in less than ten minutes. One here and one down the next hallway."

Before Dyson could order his men to disarm the bomb, Bo spoke again, grimacing as her vision began to falter.

"There's no time, Dyson. Promise me to keep her safe," she coughed, blood spluttered from her lips. This was one regret she would never live down if her best friend got hurt because if her. "Promise me, damn it."

"I'm not leaving without you," Dyson growled, his frustration clear. "Goddamn it, you promised you'd be safe."

"I know," Bo smirked despite the delirious pain. "I never play it safe."

"Not the time, Bo!" Dyson turned as another charge went off in the next hallway. "Fuck!"

Yelling at his men to leave, he gingerly hoisted Bo into his arms. She hissed in pain as her exit wound from the talon opened. She knew she was rapidly bleeding out now. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hale carrying Kenzi's small frame over his shoulders. The darkness was too powerful now, perhaps angered at being ignored and defied for so long.

_Good_, Bo thought. _Time's up_.

With a sigh her body gave in, relaxing into the eager arms of the blackness.

* * *

**2 years later**

Dr. Lauren Lewis was everything, if not brilliant. She knew that, even as she sighed and collapsed into the plush armchair. She had the exceptional intellect to solve medical mysteries; the steely determination to overcome any problem; the sharp, quick wit to apply to in any situation. But she was stumped now.

Project Lazarus was one of biggest projects Lauren had ever decided to undertake. It was definitely the most gruelling of projects but also among the most rewarding ones. Watching as her team and herself work tirelessly for two years, bringing a completely toxin-filled succubus back from the dead. Now the comatose succubus lay upon the bed beside her, hooked up to tens of machines with double the amount of wires, but she was breathing without the help of any machine; Lauren was swelling with pride.

The tricky part was when to wake her. And what to say to her when she woke. Despite all his accolades, her colleague Dr. Petir Martin was an absolute nightmare to work with. Lauren knew better than to have yelled at him the other day when he miscalculated the numbers again, but it was not his first offense and she was on the brink of complete exhaustion.

Not to mention his constant, terrible attempts at hiding his ogling of the patient's unclothed body. Most of the tests and surgeries had to be done directly onto the succubus' body itself, sometimes requiring more than one surgeon at each designated point on her body. Not one of them took the opportunity to leer, yet the man made no effort to hide his lust despite being a sworn professional.

Leaning forward, she extracted the patient's chart from its holder. Lauren had read this so many times in the past two years, she practically had it memorized. But the doctor in her refused any allowances for sloppiness or mistakes.

Bo Dennis was a succubus, 5'4", dark chestnut hair to match her apparent dark chestnut eyes. She was beautiful as she was deadly, a heady combination. And she was one part of the duo private investigators Lauren had heard so much chatter about in the fae community. As though that did not warrant enough curiosity, Bo was the first succubus Lauren had ever encountered. She had apparently taken down one of the big bad monsters that was threatening to devour all of faekind as well as humanity, but had given her life in order to do so.

Lauren could respect such nobility, she herself had almost given her life to save others several times, especially during her tour in Afghanistan. But from what she had read and gathered over the years, succubi were actually extremely selfish in nature, and were generally quite proud of that.

What she did not understand was why this one in particular was willing to sacrifice so much for, not only her kind, but for the human she was brought in with as well. Sure, Lauren understood that succubi, like all fae, were generally possessive of their human pets, but this was unheard of.

Before she placed the chart back in its holder, Lauren checked the succubus' vitals again. She was currently in a medically induced coma, ready to be woken in a month. She eyed the succubus and felt herself flush as her eyes traveled to the full, ample chest that rose and fell steadily. There was something vaguely familiar about the woman, something she could not quite place a finger on. She reached out absent-mindedly and tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind the succubus' ear, stopping herself before she could run her fingers through the dark, silky locks. She was determined not to sink to Dr. Martin's level.

Biting her lip, she willed herself to sit back on the armchair. Someone had to keep watch on the patient, and tonight was her turn, despite her growing fatigue. She opened her book and begun to read out loud, her voice reverberating through the large medical hall. It had become a habit for her, something she did to keep herself awake, and she supposed that the unconscious patient would appreciate an audible companion as well.

"One of the major challenges for computer scientists who wish to work in the domain of…"

* * *

Bo woke. Her eyes still getting used to the blinding light. It hurt. Her vision was blurry and her memory was hazy. An intense pain coursed through her as she gasped. There was a mask on her face. Her eyes widened in bewilderment.

Turning her head to get a better view of her environment, her breathing hitched as she panicked. Kenzi! Where was her best friend?! Her hearing was slowly coming back, though the sharp, high-pitched whine was still ringing in her ears.

"I told you the numbers were wrong! Administer the sedatives now!" A woman's voice snapped harshly.

Bo perked up at the voice, it was so familiar yet she could not remember from where.

"Pushing in the sedatives!" A man repeated, obeying the woman. "She's not supposed to wake up, not for a month at least!"

Bo's eyes were wide in terror, as she willed her hands to move. It was like her brain refused to send any sort of signal for her arms to receive; a connection severed. For a moment, her panic hiked again, wondering if she was paralyzed. She strained to see a blonde woman, moving quickly and with purpose, shoving a man away from machines hooked up to her.

She caught a glimpse of the woman's face and gasped. It was not possible. Of all the places in the world, how did she end up here?

Another wave of pain shot through her, and this time she heard herself grunt in response. She squeezed her eyes close and battled to regain control of her body. A cool liquid flowed through her arm, a surprising tiredness swept over her. She fought. With each breath, she felt less and less in control.

The blonde hovered over her, big brown eyes looking down stared into her own, full of care and concern. Even with the mask on her face, Bo could smell the faint perfume and the calming scent of freshly washed sheets. Bo raised her arm instinctively, trying to grasp the woman, trying to have her explain what was going on.

"Breathe, Bo," the woman spoke evenly and calmly, pushing Bo's waving hand down. "Everything is okay, just rest now. Trust me."

And Bo did, as she looked into the kind brown eyes she loved so much.

"Karen," Bo managed to choke out.

Before the darkness took her again, she saw the brown eyes widen in shock.


	3. Some Like It Hot

_A.N.: Thank you for your support and kind words! A few people have noticed that some of this comes from the Mass Effect series, which I am a huge fan of. This story is inspired by that, 50 First Dates, and of course, Lost Girl. Mistakes are mine, the rest is just an attempt to write a story with amazing characters created by others._

* * *

"What happened, Martin?" Lauren raised her voice. "What the fuck happened?"

She seldom yelled. She seldom swore as well. She was not in the habit of making people fear her, much less yelling at people who made mistakes. She understood that mistakes were a great part of science and discoveries but seeing Bo struggling and fighting, all she could think about in that moment was what if they had lost her. And the fact that the patient had called out her real name. A tension was beginning to build at the back of her head. She had to take care of this pathetic man in front of her first.

"I don't know," Martin shrugged. "I gave her a second dose of sedatives just in case."

"You were supposed to check the numbers, _Doctor_ Martin," Lauren stared at him, her voice dangerously quiet. She just about had enough of his incompetence, despite his rare moments of brilliance. "Did you check them?"

"I did!" The man exclaimed indignantly. "You would have read my reports that I made _minor _adjustments if you didn't spend so much time reading to her!"

"Well, if you didn't spend as much time ogling her as you did going through her charts, you would have spotted it earlier!" Lauren spat back heatedly, her adrenaline and fatigue surfacing.

The man glared at her, before stomping away, muttering a string of expletives. It was petty and childish but she was glad to be rid of that fool. And she was strangely proud of herself for standing up for Bo.

_Bo._

Since when had Lauren thought of her as Bo and not just the succubus in a coma? She may have, as Martin said, read to her and even just sat with Bo sometimes. She made it her personal duty to clean and bathe the succubus each time after the multitude of surgeries and experiments, now even venturing to comb the seemingly untamable mane with a brush. Just last week she came in with a razor and some shaving cream to tend to the overgrowth on the succubus' underarms and legs. She did this out of concern for her patient, knowing that two years in a coma would make anyone horrified and self-conscious.

Or did she?

She waved that thought away, as she felt her heart rate drop to a normal 80. She cared for each of her patients, the same way she cared for Bo. Granted, her patients were generally not as well-endowed or attractive as the succubus. Her toned arms, despite two years of stasis, still retained its musculature; her eyes, though Lauren has only seen it once, were a rich, deep chestnut filled with such mystery and passion; her short frame matched her petite size with her now slightly rosy cheeks. She could not forget the moment Bo stared back at her, completely trusting someone whom she had never met to relax as the sedative cocktail was injected into her bloodstream.

Bo had called her Karen. The thought was not as pressing as stabilizing her patient right now but it nagged at her. There was no possible way that she knew Bo, or that Bo knew her. She had discarded that previous life when she ran. She momentarily considered ending the succubus' life before remembering her oath as a doctor. Lauren needed to get to the bottom of this, stat.

The blonde wondered about the succubus as adjusted the machines keeping her alive. She watched her, chest rising and falling softly. An involuntary desire to kiss the unconscious woman hit her suddenly. Her throat suddenly drier than a desert and a familiar ache burned between her thighs akin to the sun.

Lauren was not a sexual creature, in fact, she had been called the opposite on many occasions. She had not slept with anyone since Nadia. And that was five years ago. Her work for the Light fae was the centre of her life now, the lab was now her natural habitat. But the pulse of lust she suddenly felt for the succubus was a little overwhelming. Steadying herself, she sat in the armchair near Bo. It was the fatigue, it must be. She did not even know Bo, or even if Bo was into women though she had no doubt that with what she had read up on the specifics of succubi-incubi biology, Bo could enthrall her by simply lifting a finger.

Her headache was returning, she was definitely more tired than she had thought. Her eyelids drooped, hypnotized by the soft pumping and beeping the machines were doing.

"Beth," she heard herself mumble before fully entering sleep's warm embrace.

* * *

"Dennis," Bo croaked. "Bo Dennis."

"Good, your birthday?" the blonde asked softly, handing the groggy succubus some water.

Bo drank deeply from the bottle handed to her. The cool water flowed gently down her throat, soothing the parched larynx. She muttered a thanks to the doctor before taking another long sip. The doctor continued speaking to her about her body and how her fae genetics have been completely restored to an optimal state through a project funded by the Light.

Bo grimaced upon hearing about the Light and hissed slightly as the IV needle was taken out, half-contemplating if she should just _chi_-suck everyone here, and make a run for it. Then she remembered Karen. The blonde hovered around her, untangling wires and removing needles and electrodes.

With her eyesight and the rest of her faculties back, Bo was fully able to appreciate the beautiful blonde in her vicinity. Karen was still stunning. Her blonde hair fell just past her shoulders, curling lazily near the end; her brown eyes, alert but calming; her stance, professional yet her aura. Bo gulped as she fought to keep in control. The dancing bright blues and violets, yellows and greens, oranges and reds was sending the succubus' mind into overdrive. The lust in the aura was not overwhelmingly strong as it was peculiar and it was the first time Bo had seen anything like it. It was beyond beautiful.

Bo was honestly a little confused. She examined the doctor closely: all that had changed was the length of her hair. Everything else was somewhat the same yet Karen showed no sign of remembering her.

"Aren't birthdays supposed to be a secret? You know, most well-kept secret and all, Doctor…?" Bo smirked, deciding to play it cool.

"Lauren, I mean, Lewis," the blonde stuttered, extending a hand. "L-Lauren Lewis."

A gasp found its way out of Bo's throat as their hands touched. Not only was the doctor's hand soft and warm like she remembered, her aura had spiked to an almost-blinding white light, making Bo blink her eyes fast.

"Something wrong?" Lauren grasped the side of her patient's head, lowering herself to eye-level. "Do you feel any pain?"

"No, no. Not particularly," Bo shook her head, slightly embarrassed but unwilling to admit that someone from her past had grown to be this beautiful that even a soft brush of their hands could have sent Bo into a spiral of pleasure. Furthermore, they supposedly had just met.

"My god, you are beautiful," Lauren breathed, smiling slightly as she gave the brunette a once-over. The smile was quickly replaced with a frown as the blonde's eyes shot downward, hurriedly continuing. "I meant that professionally."

Their faces were inches apart, need was beginning to override logic as Bo felt the hunger in her bubble. Her eyes flashed an electric blue, but she still steeled herself, reminding the succubus that she was not going to harm Karen - Lauren, she mentally corrected herself. She cleared her throat and her brain in one instant, oddly proud that she could still control herself after that gruelling fight.

The blonde turned away leaving Bo to wonder about the body that lay below the shapeless, white lab coat. Granted, she had not seen that body for more than ten years but had thought of it often. Her once too-skinny legs were now toned and never-ending and to Bo's delight, they were not covered by the loose material. Bo traced the outline of Lauren's calves, etching each inch in her mind. Her throat was dry, and her control was faltering. Her mind sent back to that one glorious night at the barn. Her breathing began to hitch and she felt herself wanting to feel the doctor's body flush against hers again, lying below her with her soft moans of ecstasy.

"How long was I out?" Bo asked evenly after clearing her throat, despite the close-to-devastating need to devour the beauty before her. She needed to contain this but boy, was she hungry.

The blonde seemed to hesitate before continuing, "I know this is hard to hear, but you've been in good hands."

"Never doubted you or your hands," Bo assured, her tone determined. "Tell me, Doc, I can handle it."

"Two years."

The answer was simple but the two words weighed a ton in the succubus' heart. The implications slammed straight into her. Her mind went into overload and all she could think of was her best friend.

"K-Kenzi?" Bo whispered, afraid of the answer. She would have never forgiven herself if anything happened to that girl. Again her mind began to careen out of control, wondering how pathetic and miserable her life would be without her spunky, courageous best friend.

"You mean the little Goth girl?" Lauren raised an eyebrow.

Bo nodded, unable to speak. Her amassed fears were throwing her into a small panic attack. She clenched her hands down at her side, knowing if they were freed, she would have wanted to shake the blonde for a fast answer, a right answer.

"She's been here every other day since she was released," Lauren smiled and tilted her head towards Bo's bedside table. "And yes, she was fine when she last came in," she added as the succubus was about to ask.

Bo released the breath she did not know she was holding before turning her attention to the bedside table. It was filled with tequila, chocolates, and cereal among other things – no doubt Kenzi had been here. Bo could not help but chuckle at her best friend's adorable antics. She reached out to grab a card, a teddy bear with a stethoscope, and began to laugh.

The doctor, who had been busy typing into the computer terminal nearby, turned to look at Bo, quirking an eyebrow.

"Looks like Kenzi has already given you a nickname," Bo grinned, handing Lauren the card.

"Doctor Hotpants?" Lauren asked, clearly incredulous. "What's wrong with my pants?"

As the blonde began to check herself, Bo realized how much she had been missed her and it was like fawning over a crush all over again. Bo did crushes, sure. She _did _them and left them; that was her one rule, aside from the frequent backtracking with Dyson. But this was a renewed level of infatuation and she was elated that she had gotten a second chance.

What bothered her the most was that Lauren did not seem to remember her at all. The blonde was completely oblivious to her existence and prior relationship. Was this a defence mechanism of sorts? Maybe she was so hurt by Bo that she actively chose to forget the worst parts of her life. Maybe this was not the Karen she knew after all, just someone who looked and acted remarkably like her. Maybe she had actually died and this was her personal hell - to watch the one that got away forever and never be able to remember her or the love they once shared.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, Bo smirked at the doctor, who was still checking herself. It was oddly arousing, looking something like a strip-tease without the music or excessive dance moves or the loss of clothes. Nonetheless, it was extremely sensual the way Lauren's fingers moved inch by inch up her calves, to her knees, to her thighs and did the same with the other leg.

"There isn't anything wrong with you Kar-Lauren," Bo chuckled lightly to hide her faux-pas while she inwardly chided herself. "You just fill those pants out very well."

"Oh, um, thank you," came the shy reply, her tone lack of any indication that she had heard.

If sexual tension was quantifiable, Bo knew the doctor would have said it was too much to be measured. Lauren's aura was practically driving Bo back into a coma, with the succubus' own brain driving her to insanity. The intensity was blinding and Bo felt her throat tighten just as her grip began to do so at the side of the bed. Her body began to react to the sexual energy appearing in the room like the pockets of air bubbling up in hot water. She was momentarily grateful for the patient gown as she felt the wetness that was pooling between her thighs.

"Ms. Dennis?" the doctor had looked up and was examining her. "Ms. Dennis, are you okay?"

"Hungry," Bo growled, the succubus inside threatening to unleash itself upon the poor blonde.

"Oh!" the blonde quickly rifled through her drawers and brought out a sandwich. "Grilled portobello and goat cheese?"

"Not that kind of hungry, Doctor," Bo purred and her eyes flashed blue; her succubus was showing. Her lips curled into a seductive smile, waiting for the doctor to understand.

"Uh…" the blond paused and frowned, her eyes suddenly widening as she began to pat herself down.

The completely innocent action sent Bo's hunger into a crazy spiral as she was literally clamping her hands down, sitting on them. How the succubus in her managed to make every unintentional movement of the blonde into something sexual was beyond her. This was definitely a first for her, but she dismissed it to the two years of hunger she had accrued.

But it kept growing and growing, Bo could barely keep her hands under her or the moan from her throat. The doctor, who had taken to searching her drawers again, glanced up at the brunette, the movement in her actions now more hurried. The need was instinctual and primal and a part of her knew that the beautiful Lauren was going to be a scrumptious feast yet she wrestled it.

"Bring someone in," Bo panted. The internal struggle was maddening and tiring. "Hurry, Doc."

A flash of unreadable emotion flashed across the doctor's face and her aura flared. Bo could have possibly deciphered it except that the hunger was far too strong now and she leapt from her seated position at Lauren with a carnal growl.

_Finally_, the succubus inside licked her lips.

She fell to the ground before she could reach Lauren. There was a sting in her neck and though there was still a need, it was somewhat latent and dulled, somehow becoming smaller and dimmer. Her brain reacted in suit.

Bo looked up at Lauren dumbly, who did not move from her position, staring at her with a EpiPen-like thing in her hands.

"Bo!" Lauren recovered from the shock first and bent down to help the succubus. "Are you all right?"

"Hell of a sting, Karen," the brunette mumbled and rubbed at her neck, grimacing. "Who knew you were so nimble?"

Bo felt her eyes widen when she realized what she had said. Lauren did not react. Maybe she did not hear it. They moved to the bed again, this time Bo lied down obediently as Lauren looked her over. The throbbing in her neck has begun to subside as the doctor worked her fingers over Bo's impromptu injection.

"What was that?" Bo asked, trying to change the subject. Her hunger was now barely noticeable.

"Something I developed for an incubus once," Lauren explained as she rubbed the spot where the EpiPen had pierced. "I modified it for you, just in case you woke up a sexually frustrated and starving succubus."

"Not too far off from that," Bo closed her eyes in shame. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," Lauren sighed. "I forgot that you were a succubus for a while and your biological imperative demanded you feed, despite you having recovered during the course of the two years you've been here."

"Thank god you're fast," Bo smiled. She was grateful she had not scared the blonde away and that she understood, not condemning her. "And those fingers of yours are magic."

"What? These old things?" Lauren gave her a lopsided smile. "Eight years of medical school ought to have paid off by now."

"Well, thank you Doc," Bo bowed her head as best she could in her prone position. "So, what kind of fae are you?"

"I'm the insatiably curious human doctor type," Lauren chuckled, her laugh still sent tingles down the succubus' spine. "You know it's kind of rude to ask that right?"

"It's only fair I get to know about you," Bo shrugged and grinned. "Not apologising for getting to know you, Doc, considering that you've most probably seen me naked."

She knew she was being a little brazen but watching the blonde blush, she simply could not resist. She was briefly reminded of high school and the winding hallways filled with lockers, winking at her as they passed each other, sneaking kisses with Karen in empty classrooms.

"I could think of worst things to look at," Lauren ducked her head lower before returning to face Bo with a brilliant smile.

"I'm sure, Doctor," Bo smiled mischievously. "Though we are unorthodox, I must say."

"Hmm?"

"It usually happens the other way round, does it not? Getting the conversation out of the way before getting down and dirty?"

Lauren's eyes widened briefly and her aura spiked exponentially. Bo could no doubt guess what was going on in the gorgeous blonde's head, she was sure that the doctor was still as adventurous and imaginative. Now would be a good time to test the waters and gauge how much of the sexual energy the blonde was exuding came of her own doing or of Bo's.

"Breath Doc," Bo chuckled lightly. "So, what can I do to thank you and your magic fingers?"

"You can thank them all night," Lauren whispered.

Bo arched an eyebrow and turned her head toward the doctor who was now blushing a deep red, a horrified look upon her face. It was amusing and surprising to see the lab-coat clad professional looking so flustered and the girl she once knew acting so bold. Bo was sure she had not even used her powers on the blonde yet.

"D-Did I… I didn't… E-Excuse me," the doctor moved back to her desk for a while before returning with a small Band-Aid.

Bo could not keep the smirk inside and stared as Lauren avoided eye contact. Ever the awkward teenager. Her lips were so very close to her own right now. Bo was sure that in one kiss, the doctor would succumb to all her desires.

"Hey Lauren," Bo whispered, mirth dripping in her tone.

The doctor responded to her name being called and stared into the brunette's chestnut eyes. Bo felt a low animalistic rumble within her as Lauren edged closer. She could feel the blonde's breath upon her skin. So close. She fought to keep the now-dulled lust from boiling over again.

"All night sounds good," Bo winked and began chuckling as the poor doctor began to babble scientific terms and work schedules and promptly retreated to the other end of the room.


	4. I Wanna Do Bad Things To You

_A.N.:__ It's been a little slow, but I wanted to set the scene first, I promise it's worth it. The promised new player enters in this chapter. Thank you for reading!_

* * *

Isotopes. Blood. Blood slides. Molecules. Diseases. Cures. Preventions. EpiPen. Succubus. Bo. Sex.

Lauren was giddy with the thoughts running rampant in her head. She leaned heavily on her desk, trying desperately to calm herself by taking deep breaths. In the short span of two hours they had woken the succubus, she was already out of her element. Now it has been only three days and the constant flirting was driving her insane, in a good way. Lauren would admit that Bo knew the fine line between sexy and sleazy, having been at the receiving end of her charm. She knew that handling a succubus would not be easy, especially one that looked like Bo. Her penchant for girls had seemingly gone unnoticed by whatever deities that existed until the succubus. All at once, she had a literal sex goddess in front of her, yet there was no way to be with her.

Five years spent in service to the Light fae taught her more than she wanted to know about this clandestine society that hid in plain sight from the rest of the world. Humans were always going to be lower on the food chain than the fae and would always be treated as second-class citizens, food that had an expiry date and toys that were too fragile. No matter how well-educated or how possibly empathetic or compassionate a fae was, there was always a dismissive attitude and Lauren hated it. At least she dealt with less discrimination in the Light fae compound due to her brilliance and the necklace that declared her a Ward of the Ash.

A human pet or occasional lover was allowed, Lauren supposed as she had seen the numerous fae coming in with their companions. But being in a loving relationship with them simply did not fly with the fae or their many laws. The fae could outlive any human by several centuries, and some fae mated for life.

And for Bo, a succubus, it was biologically impossible. The species thrived on anything sexual and replenished their hunger and energy through coitus. Having multiple partners was ideal for succubi since their need to feed trumped anything else but that was not how Lauren worked. She was fiercely loyal and equally jealous when it came down to love, quite the traditional romantic, but she was curious. And who had said anything about love! With a sigh, Lauren knew she had to shut her crush on the gorgeous brunette down before any recklessness occurred.

There was no denying that Bo was gorgeous, smart and noble and the bonus optimistic personality was infectious. Her silky dark hair flowed naturally to her chest, wavy but not curled; the firm handshake between them had set a flutter in her heart, an effect still not lost on her; the lusty look in her eyes when she gave Lauren a once-over made her want to take a shower just to cool off from the intensity.

Granted, Lauren Lewis was classically beautiful with gorgeous blonde locks and an IQ of 153 to boot and she had been the object of quite a number of people's desires, receiving many leery stares and winks. But somehow Bo made her feel wanted, not just to take to bed but a romantic relationship level instead. Lauren chuckled at herself, like she could read minds now. She was acting like a schoolgirl short of encircling of their names in a heart shape. She sighed as she thought of the dark brown eyes swirled with unbridled love and mystery leaving Lauren feeling safe yet intimidated. The same ones that twinkled whenever she made Lauren blush. The very orbs that the doctor was honestly developing a slight obsession for.

Her brain was in overload as she sorted her memories, trying to place where Bo should belong. The brunette's eyes were becoming too familiar for her own comfort. Where had she slipped up along the way?

"Ugh," the blonde blinked as the pain subsided as quickly as it came. "What the hell?"

Lauren ignored it and returned to her thoughts. She intentionally chose to ignore the faux-pas whenever it came up, believing it would give her more time to dig into her own past before confronting the succubus. It was weird, being called that. She had wanted to erase her past and start anew and had always feared for this day. Yet here it was, a complete stranger calling her by her birth name.

Lauren recalled the panic in her eyes yesterday when the succubus timidly asked about her best friend. It did not take any psychoanalysis to figure that the horrified expression would have been caused by the unknown state of the girl in question.

Then it struck her.

For a moment, Lauren was a little peeved, not sure if it was with herself or with Bo. How did she not see it before? Of course! The little Goth girl was Bo's... lover. Why else would anyone become so frantic over another person? That was the only logical explanation.

Lauren felt a little sick, not because the idea revolted her but she realized that she had real, genuine feelings for the brunette. And that something was causing the burning sensation in her gut. The doctor in her knew that there was nothing physiologically wrong, perhaps a little gastric acid getting out of hand. But the intellectual in her told her that this was jealousy.

The realization hit Lauren full in the face as her big eyes widened even more. She had only spent an average of 24 hours with the brunette and yet she had spoken to her more than anyone else in the past five years. Words may not have been Bo's forte but the meaningful and soulful eyes conveyed what she felt easily, and Lauren knew what she felt: Bo wanted her just as much as she wanted Bo. She did not need someone who could sweet talk her, or someone who could recite Gray's Anatomy by heart. Bo had a way with her, that easy charm drawing her in more and more like a moth to a hot, sexy flame.

Without realizing, Lauren, on auto-pilot mode, had undressed and was mid-step into the shower. How she managed to get into her apartment did not matter. The spray of hot water cleared her mind momentarily as she enjoyed the heat, washing the day's worries and the sterile smell of disinfectant away. As she massaged the shampoo into her hair, she closed her eyes and imagined the succubus, in all her glory, in the shower with her. It did not require a lot of effort to mentally picture the curvaceous brunette naked since she had seen more than her share of the extraordinary body. But thinking of her in a wet, soapy environment made Lauren swallow thickly. Screw ethics! Despite all the water running off her, it did nothing to soothe the ache between her thighs. She felt the familiar stirrings of lust trace its light fingertips across her body. She held back a moan, thinking of Bo kneeling between her legs.

"This can't go on," Lauren breathed, to no one in particular. "This has to stop."

Renewed with new resolve, she twisted the tap shut and toweled off. Lying in bed, Lauren promised herself that she would not let herself be drawn in by Bo's allure. This was a crush of new proportions but it was still a crush, a mere infatuation with a gorgeous woman. And crushes disappear over time and interaction, so she would do just that and play strictly platonic doctor.

* * *

Everything looks different in the dark. Even if it was home. And this was his home yet he had never seen it in this light before, or rather the lack of it. He watched the masked man leisurely go through his things - opening and closing his drawers; typing on his laptop; reading his mail. It was a slow and meticulous affair, as though the man was enjoying his own privacy on his behalf.

A single beep shredded the silence as the man walked unhurriedly to the table where the noise came from. He watched in panic as he realized it was his own phone being examined by the intruder. The wooden bed groaned under his weight as he struggled against it, muffled protests to stop the stranger from reading his messages.

"'The bacon is home'," read the man before looking straight at him. "Pity you won't be using any of it."

All he could manage was a weak, stifled grumble as he pulled against the crude duct-tape that held his hands around the bed posts. It might be a small cut from the heist that he was getting but with the amount he had saved up, he was soon able to leave, when he was released from his captor. He watched the man retrieve something from his pocket. It was a small, round, fiery orb that was slightly smaller than a marble. He instantly recognized it, having just delivered one to his boss. His brain tried to comprehend how the man had managed to acquire such a powerful weapon and how he would use it. The next moment he understood the latter part of his thoughts as he began to violently kick, hopelessly trying to shift himself away from danger.

"Stop fighting it, little piggy" the intruder admonished, waving around a clean, bright dagger. "Resistance is futile."

He almost rolled his eyes at the Star Trek reference until a blinding pain coursed through him. The man was now on top of him as he watched in horror as the blade sank deeper and deeper into his bloated abdomen, his muted screams reflecting his agony poorly. Finally the blade was pulled out and his sweat-matted hair was used to clean off the blood. He was delirious with pain, his eyes about to roll back for a completely different reason until his face was met with a slap.

"Don't you faint on the best part!" the man snarled.

The torrid agony appeared again as his captor pried the thin wound open, roughly shoving the flaming orb into the opening. He yelled out again, the orb was already hot to the touch but inside him, he felt his flesh cook as the wound was cauterised quickly.

His breathing was now laboured, he knew he was going to die despite not bleeding out any longer. The fiery liquid inside the orb was legendary in its destructive power and a small dose of it was sufficient to take out a 100-story skyscraper. However in its current form, it was more devastating to the human body despite its minute dose. He cursed the bastard in front of him, knowing that the acid from his punctured stomach would cause a tear in the membrane that held the liquid in but also create a catastrophic reaction.

As though the man read his thoughts, he stopped before the door, turning around to say, "Yes, you're a smart one, you know what it is. And please, try to enjoy your last minute."

With that, the stranger left. Now he was alone again, and with a renewed adrenaline as he fought to get out of his binds. He had managed one hand free and was clawing and digging at his wound, hissing in pain. He had less than thirty seconds left; only one chance if he was lucky. He howled against his gag as a finger slipped into the recently closed cut. The orb brushed the tip of his finger, but it was too late.

His eyes widened at his impending doom before the whole world blacked out.

Outside, the man removed his mask and stuffed it into his bag. He approached a pay phone and with a gloved hand, he dialled 911.

* * *

"But I'm so tired!" whined the succubus. "And it's been a week, I think I've more than earned a break!"

Bo had been running gauntlet after gauntlet that Lauren had set up for her in the Light fae compound. She knew that this experiment for Lauren was important, but all her powers were instinctual and did not exactly have a skill requirement. Secretly, she believed that the good doctor was giving her test after test just to keep her near and she was not going to start complaining about that.

"Okay, okay," Lauren conceded. "We'll take a break."

Lauren tossed her a towel and continued making notes on her tablet. Bo was still out of breath when she cleaned herself up. As she stripped off the sweaty gym attire, she caught Lauren staring.

"Like what you see, Doc?" smirked the brunette mid-strip, confidence soaring even higher as the blonde's aura pulsed with lust.

Bo decided to make things harder for the woman, taking longer to undress, shimmying more to slide out of her pants, bending lower to allow better visage to her cleavage, moaning louder to the water she splashed on herself. In Bo's defence, she would have done all those things except with a little less flair but teasing the doctor was more than reward enough for the show she put on. In her mind, this was justified because Lauren was playing dumb.

Lauren cleared her throat and coughed, her breath seemingly caught in her throat as she turned around to input the collected data onto a computer terminal. Bo could see through the doctor's new tactic of silent appreciation and she enjoyed being the reason Lauren's aura burned brighter.

The blonde had released Bo from her custody earlier in the week since she spent the weekend and the past two years bed-ridden. She would never admit it, but she was actually grumpy as hell. With the addition of her first love not acknowledging her and being kept on her toes in her usual work routine while including this new training was becoming quite a challenge for her.

The gauntlets were actually quite a lethal blend of games designed by Lauren that tested agility, strength, wit, and charm. As pointless as Bo felt they were now and as reluctant as she was to admit it, she knew that she would have fared better in her last fight had she been given the appropriate training. And Lauren was the perfect coach, cheerleader, and doctor mashed into one beautiful being.

Somewhere deep inside Bo, something had changed; something had broke the day she was brought back to life and she knew it, but what it was, she could not place a finger on. Everything on the surface appeared fine - scars were healed, toxins were flushed, libido was back on track - but under the hood, she knew something was different.

Even the way she went about work had changed. Kenzi had a few cases lined up for when she had the all-clear from the doctor and she solved them easily, as usual but she noticed quite a drastic shift in her powers. Her persuasive touch now had the power to control the victim for almost four hours and it was extending by the minute. The poor security guard she had pulsed actually followed her home, begging to spend the rest of his life with her. The healing breath, a trick she had learnt from her short but explosive encounter with her mother, was more efficient and potent and could now affect multiple targets. Her movements and strength were also boosted, leaving her to relearn to gauge how fast or strong her moves had to be.

But her hunger was now ravenous. Prior to this, she fed off random patrons at the local haunt, the Dál Riata, since they were less susceptible to death due to their genetically enhanced biology. Sometimes she fed off Dyson, the little crush on him amplifying their trysts. She briefly wondered about the wolf shifter, having not seen him since the battle before catching sight of the beautiful blonde in front of her.

Bo knew that she should tell these things to Lauren, but she had not even come to terms with her recently evolved powers. Did Lauren add something to her? Part of her was thankful she had not met the blonde before her powers developed, knowing the doctor would probably keep her under tighter surveillance upon the knowledge of her heightened powers. Another part of her just wanted her curiosity satiated.

"I know these tests have been hard on you, but you need to learn control and I need to observe," Lauren spoke as she typed.

"I thought that's what the ingenious little jabs were for," Bo pouted.

"Well, your DNA may have been altered since you..." Lauren looked up briefly. "How are you feeling by the way?"

"Pretty okay, I suppose, given all that has happened," Bo sighed and put on her black halterneck. "I mean, to Kenzi it's been two years, but to me, it's only been a week at most. It's a little disorienting."

Lauren had stopped and crossed the room to Bo, gently laying a hand on her own. Bo had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from gasping. The air was electric and this was not the first time that happened when the two women touched. Bo had noticed it earlier in their interactions and was sure that Lauren, being the genius that she was, noticed it too.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lauren asked softly, her voice laced with concern.

Bo looked down for a moment. What was she going to tell the woman? How hard it had been for Kenzi, the human trapped in between, straddling both human and fae worlds? How screwed up it all was, that she had died and recalled none of it? How horrified she was, not knowing what happened or could have happened in the two years that she was not alive? There was nothing Lauren could do or say to make it easier for this transition, Bo knew that only time could make up for her lack of it.

What about this insane attraction towards Lauren that grew daily? And how badly she wanted the blonde to recognize her? It was as if fate's unnerving hand pushed them together, willing them to meet _again_. Bo had come to realize that this infatuation with Lauren was more than just simple infatuation. It could be regarded as a soft spot for the blonde, but Bo just knew that there was definitely something more than just residual emotions flaring up. She wanted Lauren like she never wanted anyone before. It was not only the aura that drew her in, deeper and deeper, but there was an almost-magnetic pull that naturally made Bo gravitate towards the blonde. There was an irrefutable carnal attraction, but something made the succubus want to try her hand at monogamy again. The question now boiled down to whether she could or not.

But Lauren had apparently taken her hesitance at divulging her emotions as a defense mechanism. As she moved to step away, a slight frown gracing her features, Bo grabbed her arm and smiled, "It's been a long day Doc, how about we talk over a drink? I know a place."

Bo was scared despite her smile, she had never really done this before. Her whole adult life, she had used her succubus gifts to get what she want and this time she was doing things the old-fashioned way again. She was rusty and she knew it. Silently, she respected the humans even more, knowing that this courage, albeit small and insignificant, was courage nonetheless.

To her surprise, Lauren smiled back, "I'd like that. Just give me five minutes to clean up?"

Bo nodded. Her heart was racing like it should never have, given her succubus origins. The pounding in her ears were beginning to subside as her heart began to settle. She was more than elated, there was just something perfect about this moment and it felt a little more date-like than it should, but it was exciting even so.

If dying had any change on her, this would be one of them: Bo was now more willing to take chances than ever, regardless of how impulsive and emotionally driven her actions were before. She was never going to let another shot at her own happiness slip by again, with so many things she would regret in death. She looked at Lauren tidying her files and believed that now, more than ever, she had to take matters into her own hands. As clichéd as it was, there was a connection between them and it could not simply be pure fluke. She was going to keep the blonde close to her until she understood more. And if she fell for her again along the way, so be it since she was already mid-way down the Lauren-shaped hole. She was definitely not going to waste her second chance.


	5. Poison & Wine

One hour and two bottles of wine later, Lauren was sufficiently buzzed. She had not imbibed so much alcohol in such a short time since her residency years in medical school. She looked up from the red liquid that sloshed lazily around the glass she nursed and watched Bo walk towards the bar of the Dál Riata.

They had spoken about everything - little tidbits of their past, recent changes, relationship horror stories. Of course, she had to actively remember to leave out the important bits, things she was sure that Bo would turn and run if she ever heard them. It was easily the best night she had in half a decade. Bo never ceased to amaze her, her laugh always catching her by pleasant surprise. That sexy confidence she exuded was like heroin, or at least that was what it felt like to Lauren. It was more than addictive, it was inclusive and Lauren was basking in its glow. To say she felt free was an understatement. She was as equally uninhibited now as she was before her damned servitude to the Light.

True, she was still a Ward of the Ash, but tonight, she felt like she could do anything. It was oddly liberating for her to say that she wanted to be free. That was the freedom Bo made her yearn for. For so long, she had been kept under wraps, serving the Light fae. It was not a burden as much as it was an inconvenience. While she did what she loved and had more resources than she dared dream, it did put a dampener on her love life.

Nadia was the last person Lauren had been romantically involved with. It was a painful tug-of-war between the fae world and her human counterpart. Nadia was a budding photojournalist and curiosity was a trait they both shared. Despite having been in a committed, fulfilling relationship for five years, Lauren knew that there would always be secrets between them, since the fae did not tolerate humans knowing of their existence without their explicit permission. Nadia had been understanding in the beginning, but it soon turned to distrust and discontent and everything else fell _en suite_.

Before Nadia, there was Maddie, someone who was not worth mentioning. But at the start of it all was Beth. Her beautiful Beth. It was the beginning of Lauren's sexual awakening. From the moment they had thoroughly explored each other in the barn, she knew she could never go back to men again. But what made that all the more special was how much she had loved the gorgeous girl. Her long brunette hair, her carpe diem attitude to life, her undeniably charming smile. Come to think of it, Bo was so much like Beth, it actually scared Lauren. A pain begin to gnaw at the back of her head, ceasing all thoughts. She had been getting more and more of these headaches since she had met the succubus, the doctor in her noticed and wanted to find out why.

She watched as the sexy brunette sauntered back from the bar, a drink in each hand. A smile graced her face as she set the glasses down.

"So uh… what's the deal with you and Kenzi? Are you uh…?" Lauren blurted. The question had been at the forefront of her brain for most of the night. She wanted to clear things up before anything else happened, if anything happened at all.

"Me? And Kenzi? No!" Bo started laughing as she explained that Kenzi was her best friend and how she took the little Russian under her wings when she saved her life. Lauren's heart was eased a little, though there was no cause in the first place, since she knew that Bo was not dating her, much less exclusive to just her.

"My turn. You looked like you were thinking hard, what's up?" Bo inquired.

"Just thinking about how you remind me of someone," Lauren said without thinking.

The brunette's eyes lit up while Lauren held back from grimacing. Bo was obviously excited when she asked about Beth. Lauren did not want to share that part of her with this familiar stranger. But alcohol determined her fate now, and copious amounts lent her courage for her heart to act before her brain did.

So she spoke about Beth and the nightmare that was high school, carefully choosing her words. Lauren was never one for sharing and this ease with Bo made her feel free but slightly perturbed. Bo was the perfect audience, listening throughout, nodding and asking questions at the right time. She seemed to be taken aback when Lauren revealed that she had been on the lookout for her first love. Now Lauren sipped at the wine, her buzz slowly wearing off. Bo was acting weird and cautious, all the previous confidence she exuded had dissipated.

"Bo? What's wrong?" Lauren asked, her concern edging into her voice.

"I… Kar-Lauren, I…" Bo started awkwardly.

"Why do you keep calling me Karen?" Lauren asked. She was not going to let this go this time, despite the damn headache again.

Bo looked horrified for a moment before her face relaxed. She let out a sigh, like she had been defeated. Adjusting herself, she faced Lauren.

"Look at me, Lauren," Bo began. "Who am I?"

"I'm not that drunk, Ms. Dennis," Lauren giggled, contradicting her statement.

Bo did not react, her eyes gazing intently at Lauren. The doctor felt a heat creep up her neck at the intensity of the situation. It was an inappropriate time to feel aroused, but she was. The alcohol was hastening the blood flow towards her brain, causing all the wanton thoughts to surface. She felt like she was going to pounce on the brunette. And suddenly her head ached; the back of her head throbbed in pain.

Instead, she cleared her throat and replied the succubus' question. "You're Bo Dennis, the unaligned succubus who I just revived from a two-year long coma. I don't know much else about you, except you're beautiful, smart and courageous. All the things I like in my women."

Lauren had no idea how she became so daring. The alcohol must be affecting her more than she thought. She could only manage a small smile when she looked back up to Bo who was sporting her own grin.

"Well, I like you too Lauren," Bo ducked her head down and whispered into her ear. "I've always liked you."

Lauren frowned, slightly annoyed at how cryptic Bo was being. But before she could do anything about it, she felt Bo's soft lips on hers. As if it was something she had done all her life, Lauren kissed Bo back with a wild recklessness. She flicked her tongue across Bo's and heard the succubus moan. A jolt of pleasure shot through her when she felt her bottom lip nibbled on. A hand travelled up her thigh. Another jolt. A hand crept under her shirt. Another jolt. Another hand moved up her back pulling her in. Another jolt. A hand pinched her hardening nipple under her bra. They moaned in unison, one pair of lips never leaving the other.

"Thought you might be here, Bo- EW!" a voice exclaimed loud enough for the two women to jump away from each other.

In front of Lauren stood a tiny girl with raven black hair and a surprised look. She wore a grey leather jacket over a black corset, matched with similarly coloured tights and knee-high boots. Lauren knew this was Kenzi, having seen her almost daily when Bo was unconscious.

"I uh… I was consulting the doctor," Bo explained lamely. Lauren bowed her head to hide her blush and shame.

"_Right_. And I was once the queen of Russia but I still kept face-sucking at _home_," Kenzi rolled her eyes and gave a weak wave. "Hey Doc."

Lauren managed a feeble smile. She just wanted to melt into the ground and never return. In her hazy moment of lust, she had completely forgotten that she was in public. She had also forgotten that Bo was her patient, someone she was looking after. She hung her head in shame, not knowing exactly how to salvage the situation. Fortunately, Kenzi continued the conversation, moving the attention away from the blonde's red face.

"D-man's been looking for you," Kenzi spoke as though she had not caught the two women in a compromising position. "Something about a Mother Water."

"A Mama Wata?" Lauren cut in, unable to hold back her excitement.

The species was uncommon and the doctor had wanted a sample of their venom for testing. The two dark-haired women turned to look at Lauren expectantly, so she explained how the species were snake shifters and could spit poison. Because they originated from Africa, it was an exceedingly rare opportunity she wanted to seize.

"Could I come along?" Lauren asked, curiosity piqued. She wanted to meet the Mama Wata and see Bo in action. More time spent with the woman was a bonus for her. "I could help with examining the venom."

Bo was about to agree when Kenzi decided it was time for them to take a sidebar. Lauren smiled as she packed her things. She could hear them arguing about her tagging along and Bo was sweetly defending her. Her arousal was beginning to dip as she thought about all the possibilities of examining the rare fae. Though she did not find any release from all the sexual tension, she was contented with how the night ended. She was feeling so alive, and so oddly whole. Her life felt strangely complete, as though all through her adult life, she had been waiting for this moment. For once, she did not try to overanalyze things like she usually did, she wanted to just be caught up in the moment.

Five minutes later, the three women hopped into Bo's beat-up yellow Camaro and drove off into the night.

* * *

Police lights flashed red and blue, lighting up the entire block. Bo lifted the flimsy police tape to let Kenzi and Lauren in and they began to ascend the stairs. The smell of blood grew stronger as the party drew nearer to the group of policemen on the fourth floor.

"Excuse me, miss," an officer stopped them from proceeding further. "This is an active police investigation, you aren't allowed past this line."

Just as Kenzi was about to start yelling at the officer, a tall, bearded man stepped out from the crime scene, clad in a dark button-down shirt, a vest and jeans.

"They're with me, officer," Dyson nodded at them to follow him. There was a hard look in his eye as he stared at Lauren before he warned, "It's not really pretty in there."

Bo saw Lauren visibly tense up. There was an unspoken history between the wolf shifter and the doctor, something she should ask the doctor about. Lauren tersely replied, saying she could hold her own.

"What grizzly shizzly are we looking at today, wolf man?" Kenzi followed in, chirping excitedly until Bo heard a loud groan from her.

Blood was literally everywhere - red splotches painted the walls, the couch, the desk, the ceiling, even the framed picture. Bo battled the urge to throw up but Kenzi did not seem to be faring as well. She ran past Lauren as fast as her heeled boots could carry her and loud retching was heard echoing from the hallway. Lauren, on the other hand, looked surprised but did not seem to be as disgusted. Bo guessed it was the doctor in her, since she probably dealt with all these things on a daily basis.

The apartment was old though its charms were far from rustic. It was just old. The parts of the walls that was not splattered by blood were peeling, dark green mould grew in patches. The wooden desk in the corner was piled with old take-out boxes, a trail of flies buzzing excitedly above. The couch in the middle could have been a beautiful red loveseat once, but was now used, stretched and faded. And the juxtaposition of the massive amount of blood and gore oddly seemed to tie up the whole place.

"What the hell happened here?" Bo asked, taking careful steps to avoid the blood. "Looks like someone exploded."

"I would say the chances of that are too damn high," Kenzi covered her mouth when kicked a coil of intestines walking back in. She dashed back out to the hallway.

"What the fae, Dyson?" Bo had followed his lead, crouching and leaning closer to examine the entrails. The shifter sniffed the air, nostrils flaring, something he always did upon examining the crime scene. Bo watched him tilt his head, angling it as the yellow eyes from his wolf form briefly showed.

"It's fae. But something I don't recognize," Dyson growled, standing up.

"Could it be this Mother Water?" Kenzi whispered, her voice had not returned to normal from the sudden vomiting.

"Mama Wata," Dyson corrected, grinning slightly before frowning. "I'm not sure, actually. It doesn't fit their usual M.O."

"This mess is fae or the killer is fae?" Bo asked, walking over to grab the case file from Dyson.

"I'm not sure, Bo," Dyson held open the file and pointed. "This place is owned by a human, Desmond Pereza."

"I'm just going to suppose that this," Kenzi gestured at the entire apartment, "is him."

Bo smiled when she noticed that Lauren had already whipped out a swabbing tool and was carefully sidestepping the blood. She swirled the cotton swab in a light blue liquid before she announced, "Yup, this is either him, or another human. I need to get to a lab for a report on the bloodwork and DNA."

Bo watched Dyson give a tight smile and a thank you before he pulled her aside. Bo shrugged out of his grasp, mouthing a questioning 'what'.

"Why is she here?" Dyson spoke in a low voice. "You know she's human right? And just a doctor?"

"_Just_ a doctor?" Bo asked, incredulous. "A doctor who saved my life and can definitely help with this mess, thank you and how have _you_ been?"

Bo was annoyed at the shifter, who died and made him king of judgements. His disdain for humans was clear, but so was Bo's sworn allegiance to them. They had always been at odds with each other when humans were concerned - he viewed them as food while she viewed them as friends that she had not met yet. And this was the first time they had met up in a while and the first thing when he opened his mouth was to ask why there was a human here.

"That's not what I meant," Dyson casted his eyes downward. "How _are_ you Bo?"

He all but waited for Bo to answer him, sweeping her up in a tight hug and a passionate kiss. In the past, Bo would have been more than glad to return his affections, even when there was company, but from the corner of her eye, she caught Lauren staring, tight lipped. She gently pushed the wolf away and took a step back with a shake of her head. The wolf wordlessly tilted his head in question before she turned and found Lauren, who had hurriedly continued to gather samples.

"Hey Doc, having fun?" Bo touched her shoulder.

"As much fun as I can have, while taking blood samples," Lauren did not look up at Bo while she spoke. "So uh… you and Dyson huh?"

Bloody Dyson, always ruining things for her. As though lying to her about her past had not been enough, he wanted to ruin this reunion now. She loved him, yes but the moment he decided to declare his everlasting love for her, she got cold feet. She knew she would always compare how happy she was to her past, the vicious cycle that never let her go. It happened with every relationship in her past and she knew she was going to end up hurting them.

Again, she took too long in replying and Lauren's tone turned cold, "I'm well aware of your biological needs, Bo but I don't want to be in the middle of this."

"Lauren, it's not like that," Bo sighed. "Dyson and I… we share a complicated past and -"

"Then tell me," Lauren cut in abruptly. "Tell me everything! Tell me how you know me."

Bo had realized earlier that they were carried away by the excitement of meeting a rare fae, they had forgotten to talk. Bo was secretly happy about how the ways things progressed. She had not spoken to Kenzi about the new Karen yet and would like to process things with her first.

"Fine. I'll tell you everything after we solve this," Bo agreed quickly, assuring herself that she made the right decision.

"Fine, but no more secrets for now," Lauren said.

"I promise," Bo nodded. "No more secrets for now and I'll tell you everything after this."

The promise seemed to have appeased Lauren, she nodded with a smile and turned around to canvas the apartment. Bo caught the light vanilla scent and smiled dreamily to herself, walking in a haze. At least she was until someone grabbed her from behind.

"Hold your horses, Succubo!" The little Russian gestured at the next step Bo had been about to take: it was half an eyeball and she almost squashed it.

"Yuck! That would have taken weeks to wash off, thanks Kenz," Bo backtracked to a safe corner with her best friend.

Bo stood in silence with Kenzi, her gaze kept drifting to the gorgeous doctor. The blonde hair was now tucked behind an ear as she bent down to examine something on the floor. Her eyes were bright and alert, scanning and taking everything into that brain of hers. Her fingers were fast and nimble as she expertly maneuvered the tiny tweezers and placed what she needed in a ziplock. She stood up and smirked, suddenly turning to catch Bo staring straight at her. Bo froze and hurriedly looked away, blushing as she tried to focus her eyes somewhere; anywhere.

"Hotpants, one; succubus, zero," Kenzi giggled. "Damn, any redder I'm sure you could just blend in with the mess here."

"Shut up," Bo moaned, embarrassed at both the teasing and getting caught by Lauren.

"She really got you bad huh, Bobo?" Kenzi gave her a soft nudge. "I'm no lady lover, but I can see the appeal."

"She is gorgeous, isn't she?" Bo smiled wide, turning back to watch Lauren packing her kit. "You should have seen her when her hair was shorter."

"Shorter?" Kenzi turned to look at Bo, a quizzical look on her face. "How did she manage to grow her hair back out in less than a week? What sort of fae is she? Damn, gotta teach some skills to a sistah!"

"That's Karen, Kenzi," Bo whispered. "My Karen."

Kenzi now fully faced Bo. Her eyes widened like saucers as her jaw dropped; the realization dawned on her.

"Shut. The. Front. Door! What?! What? How? What? Huh?!" Kenzi sputtered.

"I know, I had the exact same reaction," Bo sighed and leaned against the clean part of the wall. "I'm not sure either, but remember how I said I always wished I had a second chance? Well, I guess I'm going to find out."

"What are the chances, Bo? You'd have to be luckier than those Irish midgets! Could you wish for a giant pot of gold next?" Kenzi pleaded. "We could really use the cash for the clubhouse."

"I would if I could," Bo laughed. "I don't know how I got this lucky, but I'm not wasting it this time."

"How're you feeling about it?" Kenzi asked, her face now more serious. It was always like so when Bo needed her and she was grateful for it.

"I don't know, really. The minute I woke up I was happy as hell, the next minute I want to tear off all my hair," Bo exhaled deeply.

"Wait, that doesn't sound like a happy reunion. Doesn't Doc recognize you?"

"That's just the thing, Kenz. For some crazy reason, she doesn't know who I am but I have every memory of her intact. I thought it was a different person at first, a doppelganger if you will, but I realized that she remembers Beth but not me. Everything that Beth is in there but she just can't seem link me to that."

"Or she's just really good at acting and staying mad at you," Kenzi mumbled but Bo caught it and frowned at her. "Sorry, not helping. So why don't you tell her?"

"I'm scared. I don't want to lose her again because I can't manage it properly," Bo closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. She was more than frustrated.

"But you've fed off humans and they were fine, right?" Kenzi's confusion was clear.

"Not what I meant, but yeah, that worries me too. I'm not sure that I want to eat her. Oh ew, not that way Kenz. I messed up even before when I left her back after Kyle, and if I screw up this time, I'm not sure if I can even forgive myself. I'm serious, I don't want to risk anything now that my powers are stronger."

"Again, what?! Why am I getting all this _one week_ after you wake up?" The smaller woman punched the succubus on the shoulder. "Best friend, my _zhopa_."

"Ow! Your Russian is showing!" Bo grimaced and rubbed her shoulder. For such a petite person, her best friend sure packed a punch. "I'm sorry, Kenz, I've been trying out my powers at the compound. With Lauren. And I haven't had much time with you between cases either, you're the one that lined up so many for me when I was out cold."

"Well, it's not my fault we need the cash. We don't have walls!" Kenzi gave Bo another punch.

"Okay, okay! Ease up, I don't want you breaking your arm on mine," Bo pouted, the arm was going to bruise despite her fae genetics. "I really am sorry okay? I just needed to sort out what I was feeling first, but I realized I can't do that without you."

"And you know I can't live without you too," Kenzi smiled, suitably pacified. "So, what are you gonna do about Dr. Hotpants there?

Bo gave a loud enough sigh that turned several heads towards her, "I don't know Kenz. I want to tell her but -"

"No 'buts'," Kenzi interjected. "Talk to her already! I mean, she _was _succuface-ing with you."

"Fine, fine," Bo gave up. "Remember that if she freaks out and I end up single with you for the rest of my life in that crack shack, you're to blame."

"Clubhouse! Jesus, did the Doc forget to put back your brain?" Kenzi rolled her eyes. "Must have given you a dick instead."

Bo went to hit the Russian on the arm but nearly stumbled over more bits and pieces of the victim when she ducked and skipped out of the way. Fine, the girl was saved by some eyeball this time but she would not be as lucky next time.

The succubus realized that this talk was indeed long overdue. She needed to hear her best friend's wise-beyond-her-years wisdom with a side of good old Kenzism. She had missed her best friend and was not lying when she had said the caseload was piling up, thanks to Kenzi.

Earlier tonight was the first time after two years she had entered the Dál. She was greeted warmly by her grandfather, Trick. Bo sighed inwardly. Another person she had to talk to about her miracle resurrection. She had initially avoided all questions towards her death because she honestly remembered none of it. Like she had told Lauren, she was alive one minute and the next minute she was in a sterile white room, breathing through a mask. Bo looked at Lauren once more before walking over to Dyson.

"Anything new?" Bo asked, hoping that the detective had picked something up.

"Nothing other than what you already know," Dyson shook his head. "The Mama Wata in this area was apparently sighted here before this happened but we can't find her anywhere, so we've put an APB out on her."

"So, why did you need me here?" Bo knew her tone came out harsher than she had intended, but if she had avoided everyone like she had planned, she would never have to make a promise to Lauren about a conversation.

"I just needed a pair of fresh eyes, Bo," Dyson replied. "And to see you, since you've been so busy since you…"

"We can talk about that later," Bo cut in, slightly annoyed. This dying business was definitely not a priority on her to-do list.

"Fine, they're sending in the clean-up team," Dyson acquiesced. "I'll send you a copy of the files. Call me if you come up with anything."

Bo nodded and called to the two other women, it was time to get the hell out of this blood-filled, talk-show nightmare.

* * *

"Thank you," Lauren said as she got out of the Camaro.

"The pleasure's all mine," smiled Bo, getting out of the car as well.

Lauren frowned at the woman, shooting her a questioning look. Bo looked intently into her eyes as she walked around the car, extending her arm. Lauren understood what she wanted to do but did not want to involve herself any further into the complicated life Bo led, if tonight was any indication.

They had stopped at the Dàl after they left the crime scene to speak to Trick. The doctor wondered briefly about Trick. They had met a couple of times over the years she worked for the Light fae, but this was the first time they had conversed so much in a day. From what she gathered, Trick was not only the keeper of the waystation, he was also a collector of books and knowledge and she would have liked greatly to pick his brain. He was the private investigator duo's unofficial consultant on all things fae. It was no surprise when they spoke to him about the case, despite him not being part of the police force. He had passed Lauren a book to read up on the Mama Wata and let them leave with a cryptic warning to be careful.

The book was now Kenzi's makeshift pillow for the car ride home. She had indulged in one drink too many and was snoring lightly. Bo seemed to remember it at the same time as well, turning back to open the vehicle's door.

Kenzi stirred and started swearing at the rude intrusion of cold wind. Bo took off her beaten-up leather jacket and quickly swapped it for the book. Lauren inhaled sharply as she took in the gorgeous brunette. Her skin, though pale against the soft moonlight, was slightly glowing. Her hair was waving in the gentle wind. Her now bared arms flexed as she handed the book to Lauren with a grin.

Lauren was swooning inside, how anyone managed to be this impossibly beautiful was beyond her. She smiled back gratefully, accepting the book.

"I'd invite you in but you do have your hands full," Lauren gave a pointed look at the back seat of the car.

"What kind of horrible date would I have been if I didn't walk you to your door?" Bo raised an eyebrow. "Kenzi will survive."

Lauren nodded and allowed Bo to walk her to her apartment door. They climbed the stairs in silence until they reached the door. Lauren groaned inwardly, this was more than awkward. She did not want to get into Bo's life more than necessary until she sorted out her mess with Dyson and came clean to her about her past. But she did want to let Bo know she was interested, and if possibly have Bo show that she was equally invested as well.

"This is me," Lauren went to open the door. "Thanks for the ride again."

"You don't have to be that polite, you know?" Bo teased. "I mean, we did kiss."

Lauren blushed furiously at the memory. Her throat was already dry from all the whiskey she partook as a nightcap and the look in Bo's eyes was one of lust-filled ecstasy, making her gulp loudly. Her breathing hitched as the intensity of the kiss washed over her. To label this a crush would be calling a cow a laptop.

"I liked that," Lauren admitted. "I liked that a lot."

Bo chortled softly in response, leaning in closer. Their faces were mere centimetres apart, Bo's breath tickling Lauren's skin. Their hot breaths mingled. Their eyes searching each other's for permission, neither of them willing to lose in this battle of submission. Not a single part of either women was touching but the fervor in this dance of wills was more than intimate. It took all of Lauren to stop herself from pouncing on Bo and dragging her into the bedroom. She silently chided herself for acting like an irrational teenager with rampaging hormones. She was never usually like this, even with Nadia.

Suddenly a loud ringing emerged from Bo's pocket. Bo looked pained and held up a finger, indicating that this interruption would only be a minute. Lauren took this time to gather herself, possibly saving some face since her brain decided to be the flushing young schoolgirl reacting to her hot badboy crush. She heard Bo chuckle and figured that it must have been Kenzi calling from downstairs, probably shocked and scared she was alone in the car. Bo was reassuring the other woman when Lauren decided to open the door and invite the woman in. It would be rude not to, would it not?

Bo nodded her thanks. Lauren walked in after her, prepared for the woman to bolt out. Lauren's apartment was not odd or horrifying but she had an OCD streak in her and her need to be neat was not usually well-received. She would admit that it showed her controlling nature and her inability to bend rules to try new things, but she thought nothing wrong of tradition and procedure.

Hearing Bo let out a soft gasp behind her, Lauren braced herself. This was it, it was always a deal-breaker for the few new relationships she tried to start and she never knew why. Chaos was too inefficient a way to live, and in her line of work, fatal mistakes would be made if she had to take the time to sort through what she needed. She felt herself getting frustrated, with herself. Why was she always so different?

"Doc, you have a naked woman in your living room," Bo giggled.

Lauren frowned and momentarily froze, thinking of Bo standing behind her stark naked. Turning around, she found Bo admiring her painting, giggling away.

"You know you're a succubus, right?" Lauren joked. "You're not supposed to be giggling at naked bodies."

"But there are boobs!" Bo was laughing now and it was infectious. Lauren soon joined in and a comfortable silence ensued.

"It's getting late," Bo told Lauren. "And I need to make sure Kenzi doesn't freak out in the car again."

"Yes you do," Lauren whispered, not trusting her voice to keep her want for the woman under wraps.

"Your apartment is lovely, Lauren," Bo complimented. "And tonight, may not be the most ordinary of nights, but it was great. I really like being around you."

"As do I, Ms. Dennis," Lauren smiled, walking Bo to the door.

"Back to last names?" Bo arched her eyebrows. "Fine, Dr. Lewis, would you mind if I continued where we left off?"

There was no time to react, Lauren was pushed against door frame and her lips were met with a crushing kiss. Their tongues danced slow, then fast, then slow again. She grazed her teeth against the succubus' lower lip. Bo moaned into her mouth and Lauren felt her arousal level soar. Bo returned the favour and pulled on her lower lip, sending small waves of pleasure through Lauren. She ran a hand through Bo's dark locks and pulled her closer, surprising herself at the sudden show of dominance.

They broke the kiss for air, both were panting, hot, and bothered. The succubus' eyes blazed blue before she closed them tightly. Lauren knew she was fighting to control herself and was not really sorry she had been able to get such a reaction out of her.

"If we keep doing this," Lauren smirked, emboldened by the succubus' loss of control. "I'm going to have to keep you here, you know, to monitor you overnight."

"I could think of worse things," Bo repeated her line back to Lauren. She had begun to lean back in for another kiss.

Before things could heat up further, a loud car honk came from downstairs followed by dogs' howls and neighbours' yells.

"Kenzi," Bo growled and rolled her eyes. "Succublocker extraordinaire."

"Good night, Ms. Dennis," Lauren laughed.

"Good night, Dr. Lewis," Bo placed a quick kiss on Lauren's cheek and winked. "I'll be seeing you."

Lauren closed the door and sighed. So much for trying to stay in control.

She was failing and falling. Fast.


	6. The Way You Make Me Feel

Bo woke up with a smile, she had texted with Lauren nightly for the past few days until they both fell asleep. Or rather, she did. The whole death ordeal was hell on her sleep cycle and she had not exactly been feeding, using Lauren's injections as a replacement instead. She mainly fed off the Dàl's patrons from a distance, a new trick she had discovered. The benefits were both ways - she was satiated and whomever she fed on was on an aphrodisiac high.

On the way back to Lauren's place that night brought back so many memories for her. The idea of having sex in the car had been tainted by Kyle's death but being in such close proximity with the blonde made her want to take Lauren while she drove. She wondered if that was possible, since she was the one doing the driving.

She reached for her phone and discovered that Lauren had indeed texted her back about coming over for breakfast and the new information she had uncovered about the case. She scrambled up quickly and jumped into the shower.

By the time she got downstairs, Lauren was already seated on her couch with Kenzi settling down on the adjacent armchair. Bo decided to stay at the stairwell for a while longer. A little eavesdropping could not hurt.

"So, Hotpants," Kenzi began. "You and Bo huh?"

Bo could not see Lauren's face but knew that she was blushing. Her aura had spiked and her telltale sign of ducking her head a little as though she had hoped the question would fly past her.

"I just want you to know that I'm eternally grateful to you for bringing her back," Kenzi continued. "But I will kill you if you break her heart."

"Sorry?" Lauren questioned. "Her heart?"

"Don't play coy with me, Doc," Kenzi stared knowingly. "I saw you two that night, _way_ more than I wanted to see actually."

"Kenzi, about that -"

"Nuh uh, don't wanna hear it!" Kenzi grimaced before returning to her serious expression. "As her best friend, I'm telling you that if you break her heart, future anthropologists will find a shallow grave. There would be a skeleton inside with incredibly gorgeous long legs and the cause of death would be a blunt force trauma to the head by an awesome person whose name rhymes with frenzy. I. _Will_. Cut. A. Bitch."

Bo almost laughed out loud when she heard it. Only Kenzi could deliver such a backhanded compliment.

"I can assure you, Kenzi," Lauren started. "That I will take that to heart."

"Good," Kenzi smiled. "Now we can invite the creepy lurker into the den."

Bo rolled her eyes and walked towards them, "Dramatic much, Kenz?"

"The good doctor needs to know that she can't look this good and go around messing up people's hearts," Kenzi shrugged and explained.

"Careful now," Bo teased. "Sounds like you're getting a crush on my girl."

The words slipped out before Bo could contain them. Her eyes widened and her jaw hung slack, she could not believe what just left her mouth. What was with her brain these days? So much for keeping it cool. She turned around to see that Kenzi was laughing and Lauren was suitably surprised.

"Red looks good on you, Bobo," Kenzi was rolling on the floor. "I mean, could you blush any harder?"

Bo took a cushion and begin to attack the little Russian zealously. She knew the girl meant no harm in her teasing but she was quite embarrassed already, and there was nowhere for her to duck and hide her face.

"I surrender, I surrender!" Kenzi giggled and Bo ceased the attack. "I'll get you two some coffee and you can get started with Hotpants."

Bo rolled her eyes again and sat next to Lauren. She was beautiful. The long blonde hair fell naturally around her shoulders, accented by the light pink button-down that hugged her in all the right places. And she smelled heavenly, Bo could swear she was starting an addiction to the scent of faint vanilla and freshly laundered clothes.

"Your girl huh?" Lauren asked, amused.

Bo opened her mouth to reply but everything she wanted to say got caught in her throat. She did feel relief wash over her though, initially believing that Lauren had felt awkward and wanted to keep their relationship purely platonic and professional.

"Kinda like it," Lauren winked and leaned in to whisper.

Bo blushed. As enjoyable as it was to be teased by the doctor, there was work to do. And on cue, Kenzi came waltzing back with the promised coffee.

"So what do we have on this guy?" Kenzi eagerly opened the case file. "Oh, ugh. I forgot about pizza sauce."

They began to discuss Desmond Pereza. With a little luck and some persuading, the police database found his records. Pereza was a 35-year-old Spanish male, his police record filled with petty crimes and minor cyber offenses. He had several complaints against him when his co-workers at the company's security division found him closing an eye to certain practices of the staff. When they found out that he had was receiving a cut from the embezzlement, they fired him for his inactivity and did not pursue.

Since then he never cared to apply for any jobs or sending out his resumés. Despite not amounting to much or earning money, Pereza seemed to have frequented a gentleman's club known as Vesuvius, run by a fae known as Veronica Velpar. The only thing they could not figure out was the anonymous tip that came through. But it was not like they could match the time of death, since there was no body to extract that information from.

Two hours of putting together the clues and several pizzas later, Bo texted Dyson an update while Lauren gathered the files and Kenzi had a food coma.

"Sheesh," Bo poked the little Russian as she lay on the couch. "I thought all the blood would have put you off pizza for a long while."

"Why do you do this to me, Bo?" Kenzi looked green for a moment, before suppressing her vomit. "Anyway, a girl's gotta eat, right Doc?"

"You eat like no one else I know, Kenzi," Lauren chuckled. "I don't even know where all that double-cheese crust could have gone!"

"Meh," Kenzi gave a noncommittal grunt.

Bo laughed, enjoying the moment. Though one did not know it yet, her two favourite girls in the world were cracking jokes and working together and she entertained the notion of telling Lauren then and there briefly.

"As for me," Lauren started before Bo could voice her thoughts. "I'm going to head back to the lab."

Bo furrowed her brows, questioning the blonde.

"I have a job and an obligation to the Ash, Bo," the doctor explained. "Besides, I need to determine what caused whoever it was to… combust like they did."

"Okay, I'll see you later?" Bo asked hopefully as she walked Lauren to the door. "We still have that talk to get to."

"The Dàl then," Lauren smiled at the doorway. "I'll see you soon, Bo."

Bo almost took her right there. The way her own name rolled off the blonde's tongue had been driving her insane since the first day of their reunion. She wanted to grab the blonde and lead her back up to the bedroom where they could spend the whole day just re-learning each other, with the new elements that puberty threw in.

Instead, she gave the doctor a quick kiss on her cheek and left to go upstairs for a cold shower.

* * *

"Don't bother struggling," the deep, sultry voice slurred. "You can't come out of this alive."

The woman looked up at her captor and whimpered in horror, pulling against her chains once more. After the futile attempt had stopped, she leaned back into the chair, letting the chains that bound her clatter loudly upon hitting the floor. She watched the man in front of her smirk menacingly. She could only see the mirth in his eyes and the upward quirk of his mouth due to the balaclava that hid his face.

"I'm really sorry," he suddenly said as he moved towards her. "You will be the sacrifice."

The woman could only sob, crying out uselessly against the gag he had placed in her mouth. She watched with sick fascination as he played with the tip of a very sharp-looking dagger. As he brought the weapon to her neck, she flinched at the cool metal touching her, drawing blood from the lightly severed skin.

"Since you didn't manage to do it when you were alive," his voice was now laced with sadness. "You may do better in your death."

It was a quick and powerful slash across her throat. The darkness claimed her quickly, before her blood had finished pouring out of her. Her shocked, vacant expression indicated that she did not know what he meant but it was all he needed to confirm her death as he wiped the blade on her hair.

The man jogged out of the apartment and stopped at the nearest payphone. He dialled an anonymous tip to the police department before disappearing into the night.

This was getting too easy.

* * *

Lauren yawned. Her eyes were beginning to blur from staring into microscopes for the past two hours. Her stomach growled, making her think of Kenzi and her pizza which led straight to Bo's twinkling eyes. She momentarily giggled inwardly at her false assumption of the two women being an item. Especially how protective Kenzi was of her despite them having met only three years ago. She guessed friendships like that were rare but not unheard of. Lauren only wished she had some sort of relationship to compare to.

Her life had been a lonely one. She was an awkward teenager, much as she was an awkward adult now but at least she had gotten hold of some social cues. By the time she had gotten to Yale, she had her fair share of romances and heartbreaks until she met Nadia. The woman had caught her completely by surprise and when Lauren had realized this was the best she was going to get after Beth, she gave herself completely to Nadia. For naught, it appeared. The woman could not deal well with secrets and Lauren felt bad for keeping them. Finally when it came down to it, Nadia left her but Lauren knew it took two hands to clap and she had done so unwittingly. The doctor in her knew that stewing in her own sorrow would never amount to anything so she had dedicated her life to the Light fae ever since.

Lauren touched the necklace gingerly, it was a reminder of her servitude in exchange for Nadia's life. The Ash had been paranoid and wanted to execute Nadia for fear that their secrets would be exposed but Lauren had placed her life as a guarantee that it would not happen and she was to leave unharmed. It broke her heart then, but she had come to accept that she was a tool, a brilliant one, meant to be used in this world. It was easier for her to accept her fate like this, instead of wondering about all the what-if's and maybe's in her life.

Now Bo was in her life. Someone she did not have to hide all her secrets from, but she never felt the need to shield herself more. She was afraid that the succubus would not understand. There was something thrillingly mysterious about this succubus and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. There were so many similarities between her and Beth that she wondered if Beth had a twin or a sister. That was the only logical explanation.

She allowed herself to be nostalgic as she took a walk to the cafeteria to grab a quick bite. It was a hall much like this one in the Light fae compound that Beth had first made eye contact with her. The wave of embarrassment and dizzying glee that washed over her then made the adult version now smile with fond memory. She never forgot the way Beth made her feel, and she knew that it was illogical that she fell in love then; she had not even had any other experiences to compare it to yet she knew that irrevocably that it was love.

The soft, tentative glances that were exchanged; the light, steady flutters that coursed through her being; the sultry, needy moans elicited from Beth's lips by her touch.

"Dr. Lewis?" A voice called to her as she snapped opened her eyes, a short burst of pain appeared at the back of her head.

"Sorry, I didn't realize…" Lauren trailed off, slightly embarrassed and perturbed. She hoped the cashier was not a mind-reading fae.

"It's okay, you look tired," the cashier smiled kindly.

Lauren nodded, letting the fae think that she was indeed tired and not filled to the brim with almost bursting lust. She thanked and paid for her sandwich before finding a small table to sit down at.

"Wow, what's got you so worked up?" Bo's familiar voice came from behind her.

_Familiar_? Lauren frowned in confusion. She had just met this woman, but she just recognized the woman by purely her voice. But Lauren cleared her throat and greeted the succubus, bidding her to sit.

"Sorry, what?" Lauren was curious. As far as she knew, there was no way that anyone could have seen her fast-rising libido or her turmoil on the surface. A surface she had practiced keeping neutral and unreadable for so long.

"Oh uh," Bo hesitated but Lauren shot her a look, trying to convey their prior conversation about sharing things. "No need to look at me like that, Doc. I'm going to tell you, just wondering how to start."

Lauren smirked but kept quiet, waiting for the succubus to continue. She was adorable, and Lauren found herself wanting to reach out and caress her cheek. To her horror, her hand had followed the impulse but she stopped it at the last moment, letting it drop onto Bo's hand.

_Better than nothing_, Lauren shrugged inwardly as she traced circles on the soft skin.

"I can read auras," Bo stated as Lauren raised an eyebrow. "Sexual auras."

"Oh!" Lauren had worked it out quickly. "You were er- You saw my- I was tired."

That was a lame attempt and even Bo knew it, but she goodnaturedly laughed and waved off all the embarrassment Lauren had, explaining to her that it was fairly common for people to have weird fetishes, especially for inanimate objects.

"No, no! It wasn't the sandwich!" Lauren was flustered, trying to defend herself. "No, it was Beth!"

Again Lauren noticed Bo's eyes widen with interest. Again she felt the uncontrollable pain that throbbed at the back of her head. She closed her eyes, focusing on it instead of letting it slip away again. The pain began as a sharp jab before turning into a blunt ache before completely disappearing. What was happening to her?

"Lauren?" Bo pulled her back from her reverie. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, just a mild headache," Lauren breathed. "I think I haven't rested as much as I thought I would have."

"Maybe you need help to wear yourself out," Bo offered suggestively. "To you know, _sleep_."

Lauren could not hold in her chuckle at the one-track mind of the succubus, "As much as I'd love to, I'm pretty sure Dyson wouldn't."

"Dyson, Dyson, Dyson! Why does everything have to be about him? Why can't we just do this without anyone knowing?" Bo huffed.

"I don't want to be a dirty little secret, Bo," Lauren stated pointedly.

"No! I didn't mean it like that! I'd never treat you like that again!" Bo exclaimed.

Lauren balked. What did Bo mean by _again_? No, she did not want to know. Not right now. She needed to focus on so many things plus the fact that Bo kept saying all sorts of vague things did not help her concentration much. This woman was driving her insane.

"I know we promised to talk, and I'll hold you to that once we finish this," Lauren took control of the dying conversation. "But right now, we need to focus on this."

"You're right, I'm sorry Lauren," Bo pouted and apologised. "I want to tell you but I - "

"It's all right, Bo," Lauren interrupted. "I get it, everyone has secrets. But let's just do this first okay? People need your help."

"Okay," the succubus relented. "You got anything new?"

"Yes, actually. I've sampled some of the viscera from the crime scene. It matches the ones the security company Pereza worked for. Also, I found a strain of DNA that did not match, I believe they were fae. The chromosomes differ slightly but it's definitely fae," Lauren revealed.

"If it differs so slightly, how did you spot it?" Bo asked. "Not saying you aren't the best scientist-slash-doctor in the world but that is pretty amazing."

"Well, you'd only see it if you knew what you're looking for. The chromosome build is basically different," Lauren explained, quietly happy that the succubus was interested in her work. "Also, there had to be something to trigger such an explosion, so I looked it up and found a few things. I'll have to do a little more research before I can confirm it."

"You're amazing, Lauren," Bo sighed in appreciation and Lauren felt herself blush.

It had been such a long time since anyone recognized her efforts and she was extremely proud of herself as well. The fae had treated her fairly but with an underlying contempt for her intelligence. She knew they knew that with her eidetic memory, she could possibly create something to wipe the fae out. She was not sure if she was happy that the fae regarded her with respect or fear.

"So," Bo continued. "Want to join me for a night of fun and drinks?"

"You're heading to Vesuvius, aren't you?"

The brunette nodded.

"Won't I be a burden?"

"Well, not sure about burden… but distraction would be pretty accurate," Bo smirked. "And besides, I think I can protect you."

"I can protect myself, thank you," Lauren said in mock indignation.

"With your brain and my brawn, we could take on the world," Bo chuckled.

Lauren could not help but blush a little, thinking of what a fine pair they'd make. She really enjoyed seeing the twinkle in those expressive, chocolate eyes.

"But back to the question: want to come along? I could use your keen insight."

"Well, when you put it like that…" Lauren trailed off with a grin.


	7. Swoon

_A.N.: Thank you all for the response each time a new chapter is up. Big things happening for our girls next chapter. I'm not entirely happy with this one but I needed a connector as well as using this to further develop the relationship between Lauren &amp; Bo! Stay tuned :D_

* * *

The bass was not why Bo's heart was thumping. Nor was the smorgasbord of sexual energy in the place. Nor the very attractive man just winked at her. It was Lauren, dressed so simply yet stylishly in a simple brown leather jacket that drove her over the edge. She had dropped Lauren off earlier at her place, with a promise that they would meet at the fae club's bar.

The blonde had not spotted her yet, but the moment she walked through the door, Bo sensed it even before she turned to face her. She could not explain how but she did and it made her smile. There was more to this connection than what met the eye and she was glad for it.

She watched as the blonde wandered down the tapered stairs Vesuvius, her big brown eyes searching for the brunette. But Bo realized that she was not the only one eyeing the blonde, several others had caught the blonde walking in and were eager to make her acquaintance. Their auras spiked as Lauren moved closer. A raw jealousy possessed her as she made her way across the dance floor to the doctor.

The blonde noticed Bo and began to smile before Bo smothered her with a crushing kiss. Bo broke away and simpered, looking pleased with herself as the few individuals turned away from the beautiful doctor and back to their own drunken oblivion.

"What was that?" Lauren was slightly breathless, still recovering from the kiss.

"It's easier to keep the attention off you if we're going to do some sleuthing," Bo lied.

"And kissing me so hard accomplishes that how?" Lauren joked. "Not that I don't appreciate it."

"Consider it a thank-you for coming along with me," Bo smirked. "Can I buy you something to drink?"

"A scotch on the rocks please," Lauren thanked her. "So what are we doing here?"

Bo bought their drinks and they settled in on a small table.

"See that door there? That's the VIP section," Bo said, pointing to the door behind an elaborate curtain at the far end of the room.

"You think that's where Ms. Velpar is?"

"Yeah, and even if she isn't, I'm sure someone could tell us where the owner of the club is."

"So what's stopping a big bad succubus like yourself?" Lauren grinned from the rim of her scotch.

"Well, I'm not sure how to get in. The guard is fae and apparently immune to all powers. I think we need some sort of pass or something."

As though on cue, a key was tossed into the succubus' lap and Kenzi plopped into the seat next to Lauren.

"Like stealing candy from a baby," Kenzi sighed with exaggeration. "Why my skills are wasted like this, I don't know."

She turned to face Lauren, "Nice to see you slumming it with the rest of us, Doc."

"Slumming? Clearly you haven't frequented the bar round the corner from the compound," Lauren chortled. "This is considered a little too clean for my tastes."

Kenzi looked impressed before throwing back the rest of Bo's scotch.

"Hey!" Bo made a face. "Now I'm going to have to drink Lauren's!"

Lauren laughingly pulled her glass away from the brunette's searching hands and downed the rest of her scotch in a gulp.

"Hotpants, two; succubo, still zero!" Kenzi whooped in delight. "She's owning you Bobo!"

"Not that I would mind," Bo suggested mischievously.

Lauren blushed and Kenzi began swearing at Bo to get her mind out of the gutter. Now it was Bo's turn to laugh. Here she was, a succubus enjoying the night out with two awesome humans and she had not felt so happy since she woke up. There was something calming not being reminded by Trick or the bloody Ash on how to act around humans or how to treat them. She took in the sight once more, watching as Lauren engaged the little Russian in a conversation.

A realization slowly dawned upon her that this was how she wanted her nights to be - enjoying herself with her best friend and, hopefully, girlfriend. Not worrying about how the fae could only see the not-so-different difference between their own species and the humans. She wanted to feel the sense of belonging that she felt so long ago once again. She wanted to etch this moment in her mind to remind herself that this was worth fighting for even if the going got tough.

"Bo?" Lauren's voice brought her back from her thoughts. "Ready to go?"

"Doctor Badass here can't wait to kick down doors and take names," Kenzi teased.

"Come on, girls," Bo laughed, putting her arms around the two women's shoulders. "Let's party VIP-style."

* * *

Lauren leaned against Bo as she walked the trio towards the VIP room. The unmistakable scent that was Bo engulfed her, filling her with longing and want. The kiss had done nothing to quell the beast that Bo had woken in her. She knew this was nothing compared to the succubus' hunger and admired Bo's restraint to feed upon everyone in the club. All she needed was the one woman beside her and it drove her nearly insane trying to control herself.

Bo flashed the key to the bouncer standing guard and was shown into a more intimate room. Immediately the group was met with moaning and groaning, the smell of sex lingering in the air. The low-hanging chandelier glittered as the floor beneath it pulsed colourfully in time with the beat of the music. The sides were cordoned off to form little rooms and Lauren had to hold in a gasp when she glanced into one. She was not usually perturbed by the sight of coitus, knowing it was an intrinsic instinct but the way the guests of the VIP room were going at it brought a flush to her face.

"Ugh! So. Much. Nakedness," Kenzi made the same mistake and winced. "I can't un-see that!"

All Bo could manage was a hum before her eyes flashed blue. Lauren watched with interest as the succubus licked her lips. Unconsciously, she found herself mimicking the action as well, getting more than a little aroused by the smell of sex and the act of it. She was entranced by Bo, enjoying her every move - the blinking of her electric blue eyes, the slow, sensual path her tongue traced, the heaving of her ample breasts due to her hitched breathing. More than that, she wanted to jump the succubus there and then.

"Come on!" Kenzi pulled Bo and Lauren. "You two need to get laid. And soon."

As though a spell was lifted, Lauren shook her head, clearing it from the performance she had just seen. She nodded her thanks to the young Russian and checked Bo.

"Something is going on in here, Bo," Lauren said in a low voice, just loud enough to discern from the sexual symphony in the background. "Be careful."

Bo just nodded and continued moving towards the centre of the room. There were more dancers as they neared the middle. They moved with such sultry grace that Lauren stood enraptured for a moment, as did her companions. This time, she was a little more prepared as she shook her head, releasing herself to the trance she was in. She dragged the dazed human and succubus away from the dancers, edging closer and closer to the centre.

A large wicker daybed was placed in the middle and on it were several men and women in various states of undress. The writhing and moaning bodies seemed to put both Kenzi and the doctor herself on edge but Bo was taking it all in. Lauren watched as the succubus smirked predatorily, eyeing each person as if stacking them up against her own set of carnal criteria. She noticed that her eyes lingered longer on the blonde women. The doctor wanted to kiss Bo silly, claiming the woman for herself. Yes, she was jealous and territorial and her feelings were unfounded but her brain decided it was the right thing to do as she slipped her hand around Bo's neck and pulled the brunette in for a kiss.

Lauren had expected shock and finally clarity to appear in the succubus' eyes but Bo clearly had other ideas. With a quick shift, she untangled herself from the blonde and pulled her arms back around, effectively wrapping both their arms around her back and deepened the kiss. The blonde struggled mildly against Bo's bold move but knew she was getting more turned on than ever. She enjoyed it rough enough and this was a perfect balance. She felt Bo hold her arms together with one hand and another slipped under her shirt to cup her breast, kneading slightly before flicking her thumb across Lauren's stiffened nipple. The blonde could only gasp as it was electrifying as well as terrifying being felt up by the succubus in public. She looked into Bo's eyes and saw that it was a luminescent blue and a hunger. Before she knew it, she felt a powerful pull from within her and an overwhelming sweep of pleasure. Bo was feeding from her and the doctor in her was screaming to get away, unsure of how well the succubus could control herself but the woman in her was enjoying the sensations the feeding produced. It was a slow, deep warmth that reached every part of her, especially her heated core. Against her better judgement, Lauren closed her eyes and took in the succubus. Gradually, she found it harder to focus and stand and felt herself starting to sway as her mind began to black out.

"Bo!" Kenzi yelled and yanked the Lauren away.

Shock registered in both their eyes. Lauren may have been shocked but her body was too weak to function as she staggered forward upon the daybed trying to catch her breath. She managed to look up at Bo's horrified face, still trying to understand what had transpired.

"I'm so sorry," Bo apologized hurriedly. "I'm so so sorry! Are you all right Lauren?"

She saw the uncertainty in Bo's eyes as the woman reached out to help her up. She wanted to tell the brunette that it was all right and feeding from her was more than acceptable. She shuddered a little to think if Kenzi had not pulled them apart, would the succubus have drained her dry? She was merely a human, aside from her many accolades and accomplishments in the fae world. And in that fae world, she was food.

"Lauren, please say something," Bo begged with tears in her eyes, now on her knees in front of her.

Lauren opened her mouth to say something just as a slow clapping occurred, echoing across the suddenly empty room. A figure emerged from the shadows, still applauding.

"My, my," the figure drawled. "Wasn't that intense?"

Lauren managed to look up at the woman, dressed in a simple off-shouldered, crimson robe walking towards them. Her platinum blonde hair shone, reflecting the pulsing light like the crystals hanging upon the chandelier. Her sea-green eyes were full of mirth and arrogance, as her lips expressed the sentiment in an upward quirk.

"Ms. Velpar, I presume?" Bo had drawn her dagger and was pointing it at the newcomer.

"No need for pointy objects, succubus," the woman grinned. "I'm sure you can find less damaging ways to communicate."

"Not if you're planning on hurting my friends."

"I see that you've done that quite well on your own," the woman jeered.

Lauren saw Bo duck her head in shame and reached out to signal to the succubus that she was fine. When the brunette met her eyes, Lauren gave a soft smile and what she hoped was an encouraging nod. In her head, she was trying to figure out what species of fae Veronica Velpar was, hoping it would give Bo some advantage if it did come down to a fight.

"So what brings you to Vesuvius, little succubus? Not shopping I hope," Veronica continued. "You know, we do trade-ins." She shot a pointed look at both Kenzi and Lauren.

"Over my dead body, bitch!" Kenzi snarled back, clearly offended.

Kenzi stood protectively in front of the still-recovering doctor. Lauren instinctually pulled the little Russian closer to her. While she appreciated that Kenzi was playing guardian, she did not want the girl to become fae food faster than necessary.

"So feisty! Me likey!" Veronica giggled maniacally before shifting her questioning gaze towards Bo.

"We're here to ask some questions and we'd like some answers," Bo replied tersely.

"Send your pets away or we won't talk," Veronica clicked her fingers once, startling the party of three. "I'll be waiting here."

Out of nowhere, two men carrying chairs and a table appeared and set up on the far side of the room. Lauren conceded that there were hidden doors around the room; the only explanation how everyone disappeared so quickly without them noticing a pile-up at the entrance. The owner sashayed up to it, lighting a cigarette as she took a seat.

"Kenzi, take Lauren and wait for me outside," Bo began and held up a hand to stop the other two women from objecting. "Listen to me, Kenz. I'll be okay. She doesn't seem to be threatened by me, ergo she is underestimating me. Remember what happens to people that do that?"

Kenzi huffed, her annoyance showing. Lauren was about to object again when Bo just shook her head. She felt Kenzi tug at her arm and she was reluctant to leave. She broke free from Kenzi's grasp and met Bo with a fierce kiss, whispering for her to be safe. She wanted the moment to last forever, lips just lingering lightly; arms just snaking around; eyes just gazing longingly. Bo pulled back from the kiss, giving her a smile and a nod, showing that she would be okay.

Kenzi raised her brow at the doctor as she walked back. Lauren was also slightly confused at her sudden action. It was unplanned and it was so unlike her. What has this woman done to her? She was no better than a babbling hot mess now.

Lauren gave a sigh after she turned to look at Bo before the doors closed.


	8. Pompeii

"Touching display, my dear," Veronica chuckled. "You succubi are always having people wrapped around your fingers."

Bo turned from the door to glare at the club's owner. Her mind was in turmoil. Had she really fed from Lauren? Oh, how she had dreamed of feeding off her and she was not disappointed. Lauren's _chi_ was like a cold piña colada on a hot summer's day, buttery rum swirling with hints of sweet pineapple with a light coconut aftertaste. She was delicious! The succubus in her was over-excited at the prospect that such a scrumptious meal would be in her vicinity. The human in her was angered and disappointed at her lack of control, also slightly amazed that Lauren managed to stand after the huge amount of _chi_ she had pulled from her. No, that was not it. She knew she was in control but when Lauren grabbed her, her lust-filled haze dissipated and all she felt was the warm glow of Lauren's blinding aura drawing her in, calling to her like she had never experienced. A heat found its way to her core as she swallowed thickly, remembering the intensity of what happened.

The brunette internally chided herself for not feeding earlier when there had been such a wide spread buffet in front of her. The whole club vibrated with sexual energy and it had been tempting her since the moment she walked in. She knew she had hurt Lauren, the exhaustion from the doctor was evident, she did not need to be medically trained to see so. She was thankful that her best friend had pulled them apart before she did any lasting damage. She briefly thought about Kyle and a shudder washed over her. She would never let that happen again, especially not with Lauren. Lauren was not food, no matter what.

But here was this infuriating creature taunting her and threatening her human friends. And all she wanted was some answers to the murder. She wanted to curse Dyson to hell and back for bringing this mess into her life. She quickly retracted that, knowing how volatile curses could be in the fae world. Her glare towards Veronica had not lost its fire, causing her to speak.

"Now, now, little succubus," warned the older fae. "Didn't mother teach you it's rude to stare?"

In a flash, she appeared beside the succubus, batting her eyelashes. Bo was startled but she did not want to show it, instead she rolled her eyes, as though she was not amused at the fae's parlour tricks. Bo decided to get down to business, she did not want to spend a minute more here. She wanted to talk to Lauren and ask for her forgiveness.

"Desmond Pereza," Bo stated simply.

"The human?" Veronica asked, incredulous. She guided the two of them to the table and snapped her fingers once again. "What's your interest in him?"

Bo carefully explained what she wanted, skirting around the murder as a bottle of champagne, two flutes and a bucket of ice were brought to the table. She eyed the man who was pouring their drinks and noticed that his eyes were glazed over, seemingly unfocused and dazed. She muttered a thank you as a glass was placed in front of her and heard a grunt in return. Lauren had been right, there was something going on here and it was something strong. To test the theory, Bo reached out and sent a pulse through the man, causing him to look momentarily disoriented.

"Leave now," Bo instructed. "Take your friends and go home."

The man nodded, seemingly grateful for the release from hypnosis he was under before scurrying off into the hidden doors. Bo took note of it just in case she needed a quick exit. Turning back to the fae, she caught the bemused look upon her face.

"Is that any way to repay your host, Ms. Dennis?" Veronica pouted.

"Is that any way to treat _anyone_, Ms. Velpar?" Bo retorted, coolly sipping from her flute.

"Fine, you're buying dinner the next time we meet," laughed the fae. "And call me Veronica, please."

Bo tilted her head, trying to hide her confusion, realizing two things at the same time. One, there was something obviously off about this woman, something Bo just could not place. She vaguely reminded her of the Morrigan, though the two were worlds apart in the looks department. Veronica was definitely used to being served and obeyed. For Bo to have obviously dismiss the food that way, she was on a highway to being dead, but that was point number two: she was not going to kill Bo. While Bo was thankful, she could not help but be a little more wary of the curious game this woman was playing.

"Next time?" Bo inquired carefully.

"After you find Pereza and bring him to me, of course!" Veronica explained, taking a sip from her flute. "He owes me something."

"Like?"

Bo could not help herself. She groaned inwardly, her curiosity submitted herself to another's service once again. But at least one thing was clear: Veronica Velpar did not kill Desmond Pereza.

"Come with me," the platinum blonde walked over to a dark wall and pushed with one hand.

A door Bo never noticed was there slid open with a hiss. She cautiously followed the woman inside, catching an eyeful of the club's innermost sanctum. She briefly wondered how far the club went, there had to be some sort of fae magic at work here for it to appear as a moderate sized club on the outside but inside was so much bigger. It was not unlike the previous room when the patrons were busying themselves with intimate acts, this was just much more than simply intimate. It reminded her of the scene from _Eyes Wide Shut_ but more writhing bodies, more gutteral moans, more shrieks of pleasure, more everything. It was an orgy train and it seemed like everyone was over, inside, or under someone else.

"Wow," Bo felt her hunger rise again, but she stifled it quickly with the thought of Lauren. "What is this place?"

"Enjoying yourself, succubus?" Veronica spoke while looking over her shoulder. "It'd be quite a feast for you, I would presume. Feel free to indulge, I could use a break too."

"Just show me what you wanted to show me and we can get on with it," the succubus growled, irritated at the taunting wink that was directed at her.

The pair moved to the office located at the side. It had a good view of all the carnal festivities that were going on. Bo watched the fae open a hidden safe and extract a ring box.

"Not proposing to me, are you?" quipped the succubus, raising an eyebrow. "Too early into our relationship, one might say."

Veronica rolled her eyes and began to explain that Pereza owed her money and a powerful fae artifact known as Apollo's Flame, what the ring box once held. She had received it from Pereza a week before and found it stolen. When asked why she needed it in the first place, Veronica deflected the question by saying that she just wanted some leverage. Bo frowned, knowing that she was not getting the full story.

"Well, thanks for the lack of information, I guess," Bo huffed, her patience running thin.

"You didn't let me finish, you impatient child," Veronica was getting irritated too. "The human often came here for a redhead under my employ."

"Where is she?" Bo looked out the window, her hunger rising again. Sheesh, she really needed to get her hunger in control.

"Funny you should ask, she's gone missing as well," the fae stated. "If you find them, bring them to me with the artifact, I will reward you handsomely."

"What's in it for me?"

"Well, your life for one. And two, you can have access to my oracle."

"And what am I going to do with your oracle? I already found what I want."

"She's not exactly an oracle" the fae tilted her head thoughtfully then shrugged. "More like a wise woman."

"How do I know she's not just feeding me information?" Bo was willing to play along for now.

"Fine," Veronica clapped her hand. "Ask her anything."

Again, a hidden door slid open. Bo no longer bothered to be curious, realizing that this place held more secrets than her grandfather. She just wondered how the hell who knew when to come whenever the club's owner clapped. It had to be a confusing system. A hooded figure entered the room, slowly moving towards the desk that sat at the side of the office.

"Come child," the hooded woman beckoned.

Bo walked over hesitantly, not fully sure if this was a trick or not. The last time she met an oracle, she ended up with more questions than answers. She doubted that this woman could do better. She laid her hand atop the woman's wrinkled one and immediately her eyelids were heavy. When she opened them again, they were no longer in the office. Instead she was sitting with the woman on the porch swing of her childhood home.

"What?" Bo breathed, recovering from the shock.

"Do you doubt my powers now, succubus?" the woman croaked. "Do you doubt the powers of Deino, the eldest of the Graeae?"

"Why are we here?"

"To answer your question, young one."

"What question?"

"That is for you to find out. Now listen, this is of the utmost importance. There is a great evil awakening and it is looking for you and yours. Go back to your human and your lover, take them away from this place. You can only run from this, succubus, there is no other way but to flee or lose all you love."

"You're not telling me anything!" Bo sighed, frustrated. "I've already lost who I love. How do I get her back?"

"I have already given you the answer for that, succubus. Do not take this new evil lightly. You should run away while you still can."

A wisp of smoke later Bo was returned to the club's office. She agreed to help Veronica in return for one more reading with Deino. Leaving her number with the owner, Bo nodded and began her long walk out to her two companions. She was irritated. She came all the way down to the club, almost killed Lauren, and got nothing to add to the case except more people and things to look for.

She let out a long and loud sigh. One part of her wanted to figure this out quickly but another part wanted to make use of this to delay the talk to Lauren for as long as possible. Not because she did not want to have the conversation, she basically had no bloody clue where to start. And she was honestly scared.

Dyson and her dated for a while, or at least tried to date for a while. They were good for each other; just good, not fantastic. She knew she had unconsciously used Karen as a comparison again but even if their naughty bits did fit together quite nicely, their hearts did not. He had kept more secrets from her, lied to protect her, dominated her with his chauvinistic ways. Of course, this was always at the behest of her grandfather, the Blood King. She gritted her teeth, thinking about all the things they had not told her.

Furthermore, as a succubus, the wolf alone was not enough to sustain her and how he griped about it. Lauren was a human! She did not want to have to go to someone else to feed. It was just a notch more twisted than the silly cover Kyle was if she had to feed from anyone else but her partner.

The pressure became worse when Dyson declared his love for her, knowing full well that Bo was not as committed. Be it stupidity on his part or just raising the stakes to persuade her into reciprocation, she was definitely not ready for the rest of her life being with one wolf that made her moderately happy. She would survive, yes, but did she not deserve a chance at better?

But she did try. She tried dating others, with hopes of finding some sort of potential in someone. All turned out to be dead-ends and she just gave up and went back to casually sleeping with Dyson to feed and heal. She felt bad for the shifter, knowing that she owned his heart but not the other way around. And out of the mere responsibility and duty, she stuck by him, pretending to love someone once again.

What the hell was she going to tell Dyson now? She had only spoken about Karen-slash-Lauren with Kenzi.

Before the whole hybrid saga had occured, she had wanted to set out to her little hometown to seek out Karen Beattie. She wanted to go back and apologize and try for a relationship with the girl she loved again. But no, fate had crueler ideas - place the first person she ever loved right in front of her and give her no memory of their past life together.

All she could hope for now was that Trick had some ideas as to why Lauren-slash-Karen could not remember her. Should she wait till she had the talk with the blonde first? Should she talk to the blonde at all? Should she even tell her grandfather?

And what the fuck was with that cryptic wise woman? All she did was show Bo where she grew up, where she spent her best memories of her childhood at, where she wanted to visit before the clusterfuck happened. What could have been left in her past life that could be connected to this new one? Part of her recognized that this was the beginning for her - where she met Karen, where she loved Karen, where she left Karen. And where she killed Kyle. She was overcome with grief and guilt for a minute, thinking about that first feed. It matched her own today when she fed off Lauren. She really needed to deal with this properly.

Something must have happened when she left. Bo just could not wrap her head around it. Kyle's death was probably the biggest thing that happened to that small town. She decided that a visit back home was due once this whole mess was over. She would bring the blonde along and see what answers they could find.

And the next part of Deino's message made her want to massage her temples. Bo had already killed a hybrid of the two most ruthless and feared fae types and it took two years of her life, no way she was going to have to deal with another one! Maybe there was really no rest for the wicked.

Bo had been so wrapped up in her thoughts, she barely noticed all the erotic energy tempting her, or the people that reached out to the succubus that oozed sex from her pores. She had ignored them all. She reached the door that separated her from her two friends and opened it with a sigh.

So many fucking questions, so little fucking patience.

* * *

The walk out of the club was quiet. The ride home was quiet. The short journey up her apartment stairs were quiet. Lauren did not need to be a psychic to know that the succubus was troubled. The succubus looked distracted even now, as they neared Lauren's apartment. What she did not know was how to broach the subject, to get Bo to talk. She really needed Kenzi right now, she was sure her best friend could get her to open up if she was not snoring in the back seat of the car, once again passed out from the alcohol. Lauren made a mental note to check the girl for liver damage.

"Bo?" Lauren started hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

As though shocked by Lauren's voice, Bo turned to look at the blonde. The fire in her usually bright eyes were now dimmed and burdened. It pained the doctor to see this spirited woman look so deadened, as though someone had sucked the happiness out of her.

"I, uh… Nothing," Bo shook her head. "Just tired."

Lauren was immediately concerned. She was slightly angry that the succubus was withholding information once again, just as she had made progress towards their new relationship. She contemplated if she should invoke the right since Bo had promised her but her thoughts were cut short as the brunette spoke.

"I'm sorry, I know I promised not to keep things to myself," Bo had bowed her head down as though asking for penance. "I just have so much on my mind."

Lauren quickly decided that she should keep the succubus talking, instead of having her clamp up again, "Do you want to bring Kenzi up and come inside for a bit?"

Bo gave her a grateful smile and left Lauren's sight. Lauren went into another bout of panic, wondering if she had done the right thing. For five years she had not invited anyone to her apartment. And for good reason. She did not trust the fae to leave her privacy well alone but she saw how desperately the brunette needed to talk. She had been up here before anyway, and Lauren trusted Bo.

Earlier, she had spoken with Kenzi a little about the brunette, clearing up that impulsive kiss before they left Bo with Veronica Velpar. She did not know what came over her either but Kenzi explained it simply, stating that it was love. Lauren could not help but snort at the idea, not because it was ludicrous but because it was so simple. She had once again fallen victim to her over-analytical mind, over-compensating for her lack of emotions.

She also came to acknowledge Kenzi of her place in Bo's life. Friends were important and she was glad that this small human was part of Bo's life. Not that she understood the concept of best friends fully, since she never had anyone else to rely on. Kenzi mentioned that she liked being the silent observer and Lauren agreed. It was at that moment she felt bad for judging Kenzi too quickly, not giving the little goth a chance to show her that she was more than she looked.

Lauren entered her apartment, breathing in the familiar scent her home had before putting her equipment down. She quickly cleared her coffee table and replaced the clutter with a chilled bottle of red and two glasses. And not a moment too soon, the succubus returned with a very sleepy Kenzi peeking through the door.

"Wow, you live here, doc?" Kenzi's eyes lit up despite the obvious fatigue toiling upon her. "Sweet digs!"

Lauren chuckled and nodded her thanks, noticing that the girl lingered on her television and the comfortable couch. She gave the doctor a look, as though asking for permission. Once more, Lauren nodded but added that there was a guest room with television and cable as well, which she was very welcome to use. The girl bounded to the direction she pointed, waving her good night to both Bo and the apartment's owner.

"I think she might like you, Lo," Bo smiled, watching her best friend close the guest room door.

"Lo?" Lauren quirked an eyebrow, surprised at Bo's sudden pet name for her.

"Sheesh, there goes my mouth again," Bo rolled her eyes as she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, I just thought it wa -"

"It's cute, Bo," Lauren cut in, unable to suppress her laughter when she realized that both their names now rhymed.

It seemed like Bo was suddenly aware of it as well, breaking out into a giggle. They both started laughing once they had settled into the couch, incoherently mumbling about their names.

Lauren loved it, it was so natural to be so free with the succubus. Not that she was usually uptight, but she was simply not used to being herself around the fae. Her goddamn slavery had assured that she would always be looked down on, even if she was the most brilliant doctor the fae could have hoped for.

"You know," the blonde started, regaining her breath. "I don't get you."

"Hmm?" Bo asked, confusion showing on her face.

"I don't get why you're so… you," the blonde finished lamely. She had no idea how to describe what she felt.

"I'm so… me?" the succubus looked amused.

"You're not like the other fae, you treat humans with respect. Like how you're with Kenzi, or me," the blonde tried to explain. "It's like you were never taught these things…"

"Well, you're right about that, doctor," Bo gave a sad smile. "I actually didn't know I was Fae until three years ago. I've always been told I was evil, that I was a monster, that I was the devil's child. So I ran, and running was my only life till I ran into Dyson and Hale."

"Why?"

"I... drained a boy where I grew up," Bo sighed. "And a few more later in the ten years I've wandered." At that point, she gave a bitter laugh.

Lauren was shocked, unable to help asking, "Wait, didn't your parents tell you that you were a succubus?"

"I was adopted. Well, actually I never knew I was adopted until I met Trick and he explained something about succubi being a dominant gene or something and I'm pretty sure Mary Dennis was no succubus," Bo suddenly froze.

The blonde frowned at the succubus, there was something not right about the reaction she gave mentioning her mother's, be it adoptive, name. Mary Dennis was a name from her own past too and she knew that common names like these appeared all over the world, so what triggered her to freeze up suddenly? Lauren decided to file that away for more thought later.

"That must have been hard," Lauren cupped Bo's face. "But you're not a monster, Bo. No monster would have saved Kenzi's life and sacrificed herself while at it. That was noble, that inherent need to be good so much so that no monster could have done, but you did because you aren't one."

"Also," she continued, her conversation momentum swinging in place. "Trick is right, the succubus chromosome is the more dominant of the two pairs that make up your gender, even if it's usually a 50-50 chance. You probably take after your mother in looks too."

Clearly that was the wrong thing to say since Bo had tensed up at the mention of her mother. She retracted a little while the blonde dropped her hand, folding it awkwardly on her lap. Lauren was not sure if she should prod, since she was not even on talking terms with her own parents.

"Sorry, did I say the wrong thing?"

"It's not you, Lauren."

"Want to talk about it?"

Bo looked down and Lauren was unable to read the warring emotions in the succubus' eyes. She scowled momentarily and Lauren wanted to hug her, wanted to reach out to this beautiful woman and break all her walls down, show her that there was no need to hide. Only that would be hypocritical since she had not voiced any of her own secrets yet.

"I'm sorry," Lauren apologised. "I overstepped my bounds, I sho -"

"Stop saying sorry. It's not you Lauren, it never is you. You're more than welcome to ask anything, just not that. Not until I - I just need to get over it."

Lauren inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. They had been friends for only the past few weeks, she should never have pushed even if she had felt this closeness between them. Again, the social awkward phase she never grew out of and without Beth here she was flailing in the dark again, grasping at secret nuances and hidden meanings. That natural magnetism that drew people in, the same one Bo had.

And there it was again, as predictable as the variations in element atomic. The pain shot through Lauren as she steeled her jaw but it was different this time. It was more intense, and in every way possible, it was so much more. Lauren grimaced as Bo turned to face her, she was looking visibly worried now.

"Lauren?"

The blonde could not answer, the pain was blinding. She struggled to push herself off the couch but failed and was caught by Bo. The brunette hovered over her, her chestnut eyes widening in anxious fear. Not that she could see much now anyway, her vision was beginning to blur and her breathing was actually inconsistent and slightly broken.

Her brain was in overload, bits and pieces of things, memories, information coming at her that she could not recognize: Mary Dennis. Dead boy. Ten years. Street lamps. There was some sort of connection here. There had to be. What was it? Why could she not see it?

"Bo, how old are you?" Lauren whispered, holding on to the brink of her conscious state.

"What? Why?"

"Just tell me," Lauren winced before cursing as another wave of pain coursed through her. "Damn it."

"29. Why?"

No. This could not be her. This was not happening. She blinked, trying to focus on the brunette who was now holding her.

No.

This is not possible.

No. No. No. No. NO.

She blinked a few more times before the world faded from her view.


	9. Here With Me

"What the hell is wrong with her?"

"I'm not sure, Bo, the doctors are still examining her."

"Well, they don't look like they're 'everything they can'," Bo air-quoted the Ash. "I'm going to see him again."

"What do you think you're doing, Bo? Just go home and get some rest."

Dyson grabbed her arm, preventing her from moving deeper into the Light compound. Bo pulled out of his grasp and glared at him.

"Get your hands off me! I'm going to see the Ash."

"And what do you think he would do? Try to save the human?" he scoffed. "Why are you so worked up about it anyway? She's just a human, Bo."

"And they don't deserve to be saved? Fuck you Dyson, Kenzi's human too!"

"Yeah, D-man, not cool," Kenzi pouted.

"I didn't mean that, Kenzi," Dyson shot her an apologetic look.

"Then what the fuck did you mean?" Bo challenged, unable to reign in her fury at the shifter.

"I know you think she's special, Bo, but this is just a fleeting fancy, something that caught your eye."

"And you know me _so_ well, Dyson," Bo rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Just listen to me! You don't know her, Bo - "

"You know something I don't, wolf?"

"Bo, she's a Ward of the Ash, you can't trust her!"

"And I can trust _you_?" Bo gave an unattractive snort. "You have lied to me more times than I can count throughout the year - " she cringed to correct herself, "_years_ that we've met. Seriously, what is it about her that pisses you off so much?"

"Fine!" Dyson threw his hands up in surrender and marched off. "Go see the Ash and demand that he save your poor human!"

Bo wasted no time, walking briskly in the direction of the Ash's office with Kenzi trailing behind. She was fuming, at both what that elitist wolf shifter said and whatever happened to Lauren. She knew that logically this was not her fault, it was not Dyson's nor the Ash's fault either. But she could not help being angry.

How dare Dyson say that she was just human?! If only he knew how much the blonde meant to her, how important she was to her, how crazily in love she was with her, he would change his tune. Yes, she may have shown a little more affection towards the doctor and denied him access to her body more than once throughout the past weeks, it did not give him a good enough reason to act like a child.

There was definitely a lot of tension between them, it was almost tangible the way the man had rambled about Lauren. It could not simply be the mere fact that she was human. Kenzi was human too and if Dyson had to save her, he would die trying - at least she knew she herself would.

"Bobolicious, you sure you're doing the right thing?"

"I don't know Kenz, I don't know," Bo slowed down to face her best friend. "I'm so scared. I'm so scared that I would lose her before even getting the chance."

"Chill out gurl! The doc probably just overworked herself into a coma. I mean have you seen her in the lab? She almost never steps out of that lab coat."

"Maybe," Bo let out a long sigh. "I don't know. There was a few moments when she did her crazy-eye thing, she looked like she recognized me."

Kenzi only looked at the succubus, before giving her a squeeze on her arm, saying "Whatever it is, Bobo, I'm behind you on this."

The brunette gave her best friend a tight hug, feeling more confident than she had when she first entered the Light fae compound with Lauren's limp body. The Ash's medical team had taken the doctor from her arms and started their tests on her, forcefully locking Bo and Kenzi out of the lab.

Another corner and a set of doors later, the duo stood in front of the Ash. He sat in the minimally furnished office, hands folded on his desk as though already predicting that they would come to him.

"Succubus," his baritone voice echoed off the walls. "What brings you here?"

"Lauren. Dr. Lewis. Is she okay?"

"I assured you that my staff is doing their best," the Ash buttoned his dark grey suit as he stood up. "Are you doubting me?"

"It's been four hours! Do something!"

"Or what?" the Ash shot her a hardened look. "Again, succubus, know your place. I'm the Ash of the Light. I don't take orders from you."

Bo steeled her jaw. Oh, how badly she wanted to punch the damn smirk off his smug face. If glares were daggers, the Ash would have been impaled beyond recognition by now.

"Oh your royal Ashness," Bo curtsied mockingly. "Please save Dr. Lauren Lewis, _your _Light fae doctor."

"That's better. Manners suit you, succubus," the Ash grinned, the smug look never leaving his face. "What's in it for me?"

"What's in it for _you_?!" Bo asked incredulously. "The lives of all the people - _your _people - that she could save, perhaps?"

"I'm well aware of Dr. Lewis' usefulness, Bo," the Ash walked to stand directly in front of her. "A favour for a favour, perhaps?"

"Someone's life hangs in the balance and all you can think of are deals?"

"I suppose Dr. Lewis can suffer longer then," he turned away, beginning to shuffle papers on his desk.

"Fine! Fine, what do you want?"

"Bo," Kenzi warned. "Think this through. She could wake up at any time."

"Yeah, I have! And just making it clear, oh highest Ash, I meant save by making sure she wakes up _and_ restoring all her memories."

Somehow, the Ash did not look as surprised as he should have. Bo examined him closely, unsure if she continue speaking. Suddenly, the realization hit her all but too hard.

"You know," Bo breathed, never breaking eye contact with the arrogant bastard.

"Yes."

Bo was stunned into silence again. This time she was nauseous. This time she wanted to empty her stomach into the metal bin that sat next to the Ash's desk, she would not mind dirtying the floor a little. Her hand went to her stomach, hoping it would hold its contents in.

"I wondered how long it would take for you to come speak to me, Bo. Unless you believed that you had more power than I to help the doctor?"

"W-What? How?"

"It's not a matter of either. I want you to be my champion, no questions asked."

"I need more information than that, Mykael! This is ridiculous!"

The Ash chuckled, clearly amused by Bo's display of frustrated dominance. "No you will not. Neither will you ever see Dr. Lewis again if you continue being so petulant."

"Why are you treating her like that? She may be human but she's your fucking doctor!"

Now the Ash started laughing, one of the most grating noises Bo had ever heard in her life. She began to walk towards him, with the intention of smacking him senseless. Before she could take a step, Kenzi touched her shoulder and Bo gave a slight nod, trying to rope in her exasperation. The cocky man raised his eyebrow then lowered it, reverting to his usual scowling face. He knew something, and Bo was not going to let this go.

"Tell me."

"You really don't know?"

"Would I tell you to tell me if I did?" Bo rolled her eyes, the man was being intentionally dense.

"What do you understand about the term 'pet'?"

"Humans that are claimed by fae, right?"

"Correct. In other words, they are owned by whoever claims them, just like your hidden dagger in your boot, the little human is your property as well."

"Nobody owns this!" Kenzi yelled, her hands showing off her own body.

The Ash merely chuckled at the display but Bo had understood his meaning. If by claiming Kenzi, it meant that Bo owned her in the twisted fae sense, what did _Ward_ of the Ash mean?

"I'm sure you're aware that Dr. Lewis is a Ward of mine, she is under my protection," Mykael continued, parallel to Bo's thoughts. "What that also means is that her life is forfeit."

"Forfeit?"

"Yes, I own her life, as the Ash before me did."

"Own her _life_?"

"Have you become stupid, succubus?"

"I apologise, _sir_. I'm too mediocre to understand what rubbish just exited the hole in your face."

The Ash let out an annoyed sigh, "Don't test my patience, child. Let me explain it to you like you're five: she signed her life over to the Light fae as a form of payment to a favour we did for her. She's the Light's _chattel_."

"Wait, what? What favour?"

"I'm not sure if that's my story to tell, but I'll give you all the resources you need to cure Dr. Lewis, _if_ you give me your blood oath to be my champion."

The little Russian reached out to grab her again, "I know what I'm doing Kenz," Bo turned to look at Mykael, "You've got a deal."

"Heavens! I forget you're a child sometimes," irritation marred his features. "You have to say it, Bo. I'm sure you don't need me to guide you through it."

Again, the succubus decided that slapping him could wait till _after_ he gave her the means to save Lauren's life. She gave a forced smile and said, "I, Bo, give you, Mykael, my blood oath to be your champion."

"And I, Mykael Machiavelli Clement the third, give you, Bo, my blood oath to give you every resource needed to cure Dr. Lauren Lewis."

"All done then?"

"Yes. Now shoo, it's tea time."

* * *

Everywhere was sore. Her head especially. God, what the hell was that? No, Lauren was sure she did not drink that much wine. She knew she had better restraint than that. Was she attacked? Before she even opened her eyes, she knew where she was. Of course Mykael would not want the rumour that his little pet was without proper medical care, how would it look on him, that pompous bastard?

Lauren stilled herself. This was unlike her. She was never usually this angry but the rage was now coming off her in waves. Suddenly the feeling subsided and she was calming down instantly. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed she was in one of the recovery rooms her lab was equipped with. She glanced at the digital wall clock and it read 20:53. That could not have been right, she was with Bo the last time she was conscious and they had reached her apartment at around 11 last night. Unless she went back in time, she had been knocked out for the past 21 hours. Why was there no date on the damn clock!

Bo.

No, not Bo. Beth.

She had found the brunette after all these years! And she was fae! The memories of the night came rushing back to her, all the intense pain and all the crazy-but-not-crazy realizations. It was not like Beth - Bo, she corrected herself - looked different, she looked the same and well, she looked as beautiful as ever. It suddenly all made sense, how she wanted to care for the brunette; how she had the uncontrollable desire to kiss her; how she felt jealous when that stupid lech ogled at her girlfriend's body.

Girlfriend?

Was she even still her girlfriend? Lauren pondered about it for a moment before a raging jealousy swept through her again, thinking about Dyson and his clammy paws. She swallowed thickly, steadying her breath. The woman was a succubus, of course she had sex throughout the ten years, it was genetically coded into her to do so. Even Lauren herself had some one night stands and one or two relationships. Of course nothing compared to her longing for her first love, who disappeared after…

Oh god! Kyle Williams! She killed Kyle Williams!

Lauren felt like she was going to be sick. This was too much for anyone, least of all the emotionless train-wreck that was her. When Nadia left her, she was broken. She had sold herself into slavery for the woman's life but could do nothing to get closure, on the threat of death for both of them. She knew she had shut down her emotions for anything more than a casual night of passion but the moment the succubus landed on her operating table, it kick started her limbic system and clearly, her muscle memory. What drove her curiosity now was how she did not recognize her at first.

A small squeak alerted her that someone was in the room with her. The blonde turned left and right, eyes darting around to see who had entered. Or had been here the entire time. For the first time since waking up, she felt scared and powerless. There was a glass that separated the patients from the din of the lab but if needed, the lab staff could hear her if she screamed. She glanced at the door, measuring that it was about 2 giant steps away. She shifted her arm, slowly removing the IV needle stuck in her arm. Hissing softly in pain, she applied pressure to the wound.

"I don't think that's necessary, doctor," a low disembodied voice floated to her.

"Who's there? Show yourself."

"Not yet. My name is not important, what's important is that you forget for now," the voice was closer now.

"Forget? I just remembered everything! I spent my whole life chasing someone I couldn't even recognize!" Lauren blurted, unable to control her emotion.

"And I'm sorry for that, but this is for your own good, this is not the time yet."

A dark shroud covered her as she tried to scream. But no matter how hard she tried, no sound emerged from her open mouth. No matter how hard she struggled, she was pinned down by the swirling black mist. No matter how hard she fought, she was beginning to slip into a familiar darkness.

The last thing she saw was a purple flash before unconsciousness enveloped her once again.

* * *

"Hey babe," Bo whispered to the prone form on the bed. "How are you?"

She would get no reply, she knew that. For the past weeks, the only replies she had was the beeping of the machines and light snoring. She wanted to laugh at the irony of this moment: the doctor in her own lab bed. Also, the two have switched places with Bo holding vigil the blonde whenever time allowed it, and the blonde resting peacefully in bed.

"I don't know if you can hear me but I miss you. I've really missed you for the past ten - no, twelve - years, while technically you just met me," she lets out a mirthless chuckle. "Never knew fate to be this cruel, stomping on my heart like that. I just want to tell you I'm sorry for letting you go. I'm sorry that I didn't turn back for you. I'm sorry I was young and stupid and couldn't control myself. Well I still can't."

Bo paused as she ran her hand through the blonde locks, moving downward to caress Lauren's cheek.

"I don't know if it was me that caused this. I don't know what to do. I really don't. You're the one with the smarts and I can't do this without you. Please, just wake up. I'll make everything right, I promise. It's my turn to save you now. Just... Please."


	10. Ghosts

Bo downed the tequila shot in front of her quickly. This day was getting from bad to worse. The idiot underfae were starting to take a toll on her, despite her accelerated healing. The past weeks she had spent chasing down leads to help Lauren and week after week it was a dead end. And now the Morrigan of the Dark fae was asking her to take up new jobs for her, stating that her unaligned status was becoming more Light, day by day just by association with the detective pair Dyson and Hale. The worst news was that Lauren was still slipping in and out of consciousness, unconscious being the constant state she was in whenever Bo dropped by.

Trick handed her another shot and she threw it back quickly. The bad news about her resurrection was the increased metabolism that came with the speedy healing. This was her seventh shot and she only felt the burn of the liquor sliding down her throat and nothing else. Maybe Lauren could do something about it.

"Whiskey for your thoughts?" inquired Trick, placing two lowball glasses and a bottle in front of her.

"What else? I'm so tired, Gramps. The Ash is just as bad as the Morrigan, making me fetch this, stop that; go here, blow up there. And I'm not getting any closer to finding a cure for Lauren."

"I'm sure the part about blowing things up was only you, Ysabeau," Trick gave a hearty chortle. "Anyway, I came across something that may help."

"Not again, Trick. I hunted a bunch of fairies through the woods only to be caught mid-orgy and I had to collect - no, scrape - their… splooge," Bo gave a shudder as she recalled the incident, "off the floor. Even _I_ got turned off and I'm a succubus."

Trick only laughed harder, refilling both their glasses. Bo rolled her eyes, that was a particularly bad day for her. At the same time she was trekking through the woods filled with moans and, what could only be described as two pieces of meat slapping against each other, she received a text from Kenzi that Lauren was waking up. Feeling the urgency in completing her task, she stumbled into her second _Eyes Wide Shut_ orgy in a month. Usually she would have participated a little, but like the last time, she had no urge to do so. She just wanted to get back to Lauren's side as soon as possible, leaning into the uncomfortable chair that was by the bed's side and trying to fall asleep.

By the time she returned to the Dàl, Bo was more than exhausted but she hoisted herself right off the barstool and went straight to Lauren who, for crying out loud, was back asleep. The lab staff had offered to wake the doctor but Bo knew she could not be selfish, since she did not know what was wrong with Lauren just yet.

"Bo, I know you care about Lauren but why are you so desperate for her to remember - what? What was it that you wanted her to remember anyway?"

"You're right, Gramps, I care about her and I want her to get better, that's all."

"Sounds like you're taking after me a little with all the secrets," he chuckled softly. "And go easy on the whiskey! It's a 200 year bottle!"

The succubus sighed, knowing what direction this conversation was heading. Out of spite, she finished the remainder of the drink quickly, forcing Trick to refill her glass. It was partially for her too, she needed the liquid courage. She did not know why she needed it, it was a relatively easy story to tell but then again, she had always resented her grandfather a little for leaving her in the dark about her heritage amongst a multitude of other things. Maybe she wanted a little secret over his head. Or maybe not, he was offering to help anyway.

"So."

Trick nodded, leaning forward eagerly to take in each word from his grand-daughter's mouth.

"About ten years before Dyson and Hale found me, I lived in a little town north-east of here. You know the story about me running after… feeding off my first 'boyfriend'," Bo air-quoted the word. "What you don't know if that I was in love at that time."

"Kelvin? Karl?"

"Kyle, but no, not him. He was unknowingly my beard, meaning he was my cover for my secret girlfriend, Karen Beattie."

"A cover?"

"You have to understand, Trick, that people in a small town gossip more than the fae you know. And they are religious to a fault. Being a girl loving a girl was more than just something they frowned upon, it was a big no-no and I was a coward. They found out about us and I just retreated into the safe cover I had, letting Karen take the blame. After a month of being closely monitored by all members of the society, it was our prom and we… reconnected that night."

"Reconnected?"

Bo shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "Trick, you're my grandpa and I'm filtering words for you."

"Oh." Now it was Trick's turn to squirm.

"Yes, oh," Bo stifled a little chuckle. "Anyway, I was all ready to settle back into the mask of our relationship then I… fed for the first time. I ran after it happened, I was so scared and helpless and I didn't know what to do. I just ran."

"It's not your fault, Bo, you couldn't - "

"I know. I know that now. But at 16, I thought I was a fucking - pardon my French - monster. It doesn't make it any better or easier to live with."

"Nonsense, Ysabeau! You are not a monster! How can someone like you - someone so full of love and understanding - be anything close to a monster! Monsters don't love, Bo! Monsters don't regret!"

"And this is why you're my grandfather," she reached over and gave him a hug, feeling better about her past.

This was an internal war long fought, a struggle she had been having with herself since the night she ran away after the disaster that happened with Kyle. Not that she needed someone to assuage her guilt, she just needed someone to know that she was sorry about her nature, about everything.

"I apologise, my grand-daughter, I still don't know how this is connected to Lauren or what you're doing at all actually."

"Trick," Bo looked up into her grandfather's eyes, holding his gaze. "Lauren is Karen. Well, Karen is Lauren. Karen was my first love then and my first love now. I left things sloppily with her the first time - with the running away and all that. I want to make it up this time."

"What! What? How?"

"You sound just like Kenzi! As did I. Well, in my head at least. I was still in and out of consciousness when I figured it out. Oh wait, you mean how did Karen become Dr. Lauren Lewis? I have no idea, Gramps, I need to figure that out too."

"Kenzi knows too?! Who else have you told, Bo?"

"What does it matter? Why do I feel like you know more than you're saying, _again_?"

For a moment the Blood King looked constipated, so Bo decided that this was the time to keep pressing for information.

"Trick, we've been through this! Stop hiding things from me to protect me, it didn't do any good with the stupid hybrid actually killing me. I spent two years dead, _two years_!"

"And I can't be more sorry for that, but Ysabeau, I honestly believed that I was keeping you safe!"

Bo was going to argue that if she had all the information she needed from the people around her, she would probably have had a better chance at finishing the horrendous beast earlier, without the life sacrifice.

"Forget it," Bo said, pouring Trick and herself two measures of the whiskey each. "I just want to know what you know."

Trick gave a huge sigh before turning to go retrieve something from his library. Bo, on the other hand, was honestly trying to not lash out at her grandfather. She understood his reasons, she did, but it did not stop her from feeling cheated by the people she loved - _again_.

The old fae quickly returned with a thick, leather-bound tome that landed with a dull thud on the bartop. The thousand-year dust flew everywhere as he flipped the pages rapidly to get to what he wanted to show Bo.

"You know I can't read it without Lauren's translations right?" the succubus snapped.

Bo watched her grandfather waddle through another wave of shame. She reeled her anger in.

"I'm sorry," Bo apologised. "I didn't mean it that way. Please translate it for me."

Trick gave her a smile that did not reach his eyes, but began to read anyway, "Daughters of Mnemosyne can bestow the power of _lethe_, non-memory. They can take away the pain of losing loved ones or alter sequences in the mind. They can hide away vast secrets and change perspectives."

"So I need to find a daughter of Nemo? As in Finding Nemo? Should be better than running through the damn woods."

"Bo," Trick rolled his eyes, giving an exasperated sigh. "Mnemosyne. She's the Greek goddess of memory and her daughters have the ability to take or alter memory."

"Let me guess, they're all fae?"

Trick nodded.

"Great! Where can I find one?"

"I don't even know if this is what you're looking for, you still haven't told me."

"Lauren-slash-Karen doesn't remember me, rather she remembers Beth Dennis but she doesn't seem to know I'm her."

"Have you tried telling her?"

"Yes! I mean, no! But shouldn't she recognize me? I look exactly the same, well maybe a little more now but I'm essentially the same."

"Fun fact, our brains can trick us. Understand that these fae are dangerous, and their powers require sacrifice to work. Also this does sound more like a glamour charm than memoriel alteration."

Bo rolled her eyes, "How about this, _grandpa_. I'm going to go tell her now and if you can, try to find one? Please, pretty please?"

"Fine," Trick muttered, continuing his mumbling about karma and his ass being bitten while Bo skipped out of the Dàl.

* * *

Lauren blinked and struggled to keep her eyes open. Her brain was all mushed up again. Goddamn painkillers. She silently congratulated herself for training her staff well to keep her mind all befuddled with the cocktail they had pushed into her bloodstream. She licked her cracked lips, her mouth felt like cotton and her throat felt like it was cleaned with sandpaper. Reaching to the bedside table, she was surprised at the gift basket of tequila, chocolates and frozen pizza.

She smiled, not really sure who had sent the package. But it was a thoughtful gesture that she deeply appreciated even though she hardly consumed any of those items. This was the first time in a long time that she had received a gift of any kind, they were usually just a reciprocation of the kindness she showed to her patients. Her eyes began to tear up when she realized that her slavery had hardened her in every way possible.

"Dr. Lewis," a voice startled her as she craned her neck to see who it was. "I'm glad you're looking better."

"Ash," she returned the greeting, bowing her head slightly. "You'll forgive me for not being able to kneel."

"Of course, child. How are you feeling?"

"A little dazed, I don't really remember much. Thank you for your concern, sir, but if you don't mind me asking, how long have I been here?"

"Just two days shy of three weeks."

Lauren bit back her gasp, but could not contain her curiosity, "What! How?"

"I'm not sure if I can explain it better than you," Mykael shrugged, placing her own charts into her hands.

He was right. Even if he did explain it all to Lauren, she would not have believed him. It was horrifying to have spent years looking at the flimsy clipboards to find one with her name printed across the top now. The chart stated that her vitals were stable and there were no signs of any damage done to her body or brain. It also stated that she was found unconscious in her apartment before she was brought in by…

"Sir," Lauren asked hesitantly. "Who's Bo Dennis?"


	11. Strangers Again, Again

"Could this be a break-in?"

"A hellish version of one, if it is," Dyson growled.

The scent of blood permeated the air as he stood in front of the naked corpse. The throat was slit with excessive force, just a little more would have decapitated the victim completely. The dried blood was all over the body, covering it like a sickening coat of paint.

Jiona Asha. A 33-year-old lawyer who started her career as a closer for a big advertising firm. She graduated top of her class with a double degree in law and business, left her hometown and emerged when she closed a case for a murderous crime lord. Winning that case, she began to take on more difficult cases - cases that had no optimistic prospect but she won them all. When questioned on how she did it, she always claimed it was her superior intellect. Humility was not in her dictionary.

Dyson sniffed the air and caught the familiar scent again, this time even fainter than the last. He needed help on this and he knew just who to call. Maybe this alone time with Bo would let him win her heart back.

* * *

"What do you mean she can't remember me?!" Bo yelled at the Ash.

"She can't remember you," Mykael stated matter-of-factly, his face devoid of emotion.

"Stop repeating what I said, and tell me what the hell happened? Did someone break in? Did she go into a coma? She can't just not remember me!"

"I don't know how to put this more clearly to you, succubus, she does not remember you at all - not the way she worked on you for two years, not the way she not-so-secretly helped you gain control, not the way she went - without permission, might I add - on cases or stake-outs with you."

The succubus stood stunned.

"No quips this time?" Mykael smirked.

"Let me see Lauren and show me your security feeds."

"I'm not - "

"Please."

"Fine," Mykael relented.

Bo walked out of the room, feeling more defeated than she had before. But there was a slight glimmer of hope now, at least it felt like it when she spoke to Trick. This was just a hitch in the plan. A pretty damn big one.

The succubus sighed even though she knew that Lauren had Karen's memories and shared more than a little attraction. All she had to do now was get the blonde to fall in love with her again. Not that hard right?

Approaching the lab, Bo took a deep breath to steady herself. She was not sure what she would find behind those doors. All she knew was that Lauren could not remember her, a whole new level more horrifying than not recognizing her. Her hand lingered on the doorknob for a second before she forced herself to step through it lest she chicken out.

"Lauren?" Bo voiced timidly, rounding the corner into the area for recovering patients.

The blonde looked at her, colour was now returning to her pale skin and she was looking a whole lot better. The ever-vigilant machines stood silently by her, keeping the woman she loved so much healthy. The table in front of her bed had stacks of papers. Notes, if Bo had to guess. A quick glance showed that she was correct, it was all the work Lauren had done for the past three years.

"Hello," the blonde greeted her in a small voice, putting down a file she had been reading.

"Hey," Bo smiled. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"No, I actually wanted to use the washroom but the lab staff seem a little pre-occupied…"

"Here," Bo reached for the blonde. "Let me help."

"Thanks."

The succubus walked them over to the adjoining toilet, waiting patiently outside for Lauren return. Slowly they made their way back.

"I'm tired, not old," the blonde laughed softly. "Not that I'm not grateful for the help, Ms…?"

Bo's heart clenched. She really did not remember her.

For a moment, she was crippled with fear, pain, heartache, sadness, anger. The whirlwind of emotions battered her bruised heart. She could not help as her eyes began to fill with tears.

No, she had to be strong.

She could not start freaking Lauren out right now. And the woman was staring at her now, probably judging this stranger for acting so weirdly.

"Bo, Bo Dennis," the introduction came out as a broken gargle. She cleared her throat quickly, resuming her strong façade.

"So," Lauren smiled. "You're the heroine that saved me from my apartment. How did you find me there?"

"I, uh… Injections, right. I was supposed to get some injections from you to help with my hunger."

"Injections? What type of fae are you?" the blonde spoke excitedly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

"Of course not," Bo waved her apology away. "I'm a succubus, a succubus you saved and you modified - "

"An injection from an incubus I once treated, yes. It's coming back to me now. Wait, you were unconscious for two years right?"

Bo frowned, was Lauren beginning to remember?

Instead of asking that she decided to answer the doctor's question. "Uh, yeah. I actually…" there was no delicate way to put this, Bo decided, "died and you brought me back."

"Died?" the blonde frowned for a moment before her face lit up. "Project Lazarus? That was real? I thought it was one of those crazy ideas I had in my head," they both shared a chuckle. "How are you feeling?"

Bo laughed despite the circumstance. It was just like Lauren to care about other people before herself. "I'm fine, Doc. I should be asking you how _you're_ feeling."

"I'm okay, just a little surprised, I don't get much visitors."

"Well, it looks like Kenzi left some things here for you," Bo motioned to the bedside table. "All her usual goodies."

"Kenzi?"

Lauren looked at her, clearly confused. But her beauty was not lost on the succubus. Her hair, though matted with sweat and three weeks of grime was still like liquid gold, framing her delicate features. Her honey-brown eyes, though dulled with the pain medication and rest, was still twinkling with hidden mystery. She was beautiful. The succubus in her roared, angered that she could not have the woman she wanted. No, this was really not the time to lose her control. She shook her head.

"Oh. Kenzi, she's my best friend. You saved her life as well, just didn't take as long as it took for me."

"She must be some sort of healing fae, the hybrid seemed like quite a piece of work."

"Take it from me," Bo chuckled. "I lost two years." She looked down, still struggling with keeping her emotions in check. "And uh, Kenzi's human, not any type of fae."

"Oh?"

Bo only nodded and allowed herself a small smile. Her heart ached at the amount of progress she had made, only to have it crushed into the fragments it was now. Lauren was studying her face intently, and for a moment, Bo just pretended that it was with the same emotion that were coming from the honey brown eyes.

"Have we met?" Lauren suddenly asked. "I mean before this."

Bo hesitated, unsure what to say. But fortunately for her, her phone started ringing. She mouthed a sorry to Lauren before answering her phone.

"What?" Bo growled, without taking note who had called.

"There's been another murder," Dyson's gruff voice got straight to the point immediately. "I need you to help."

"Can't it wait? Where's Hale?" she sighed exasperatedly, she was still annoyed with the shifter.

She cast a glance at Lauren who had busied herself with the files again.

"No, the local police are asking for a clean-up and Hale's holding off the press at the precinct. They've started calling it a serial murder even though there wasn't anything to link it up," the shifter huffed into the phone.

Bo sighed again, examining her options. "Fine, I'll be there."

"You're at the hospital, aren't you?" Dyson asked before hanging up.

Bo rolled her eyes at the jealousy in his tone. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes I am. Text me the address, I'll be there in fifteen."

* * *

By the time Bo had reached the apartment complex, most of the crowd that had gathered like vultures had disappeared, leaving only a skeleton crew to monitor the crime scene.

Riding the elevator up to the penthouse, she allowed herself a minute to break down. This was too much for her: the changes in her body, the stress of work, and the pain of losing Lauren again. She was thankful that this time, the blonde was at least within reach. She had left Lauren, promising a visit soon as well as getting the good doctor to join her for a drink once she had recovered. At any rate, that was a better start than being a comatose patient waking up control issues.

The elevator dinged and Bo quickly gathered herself. Again, the stench of blood attacked her nostrils. So far that had been the only thing connecting the two cases. She swallowed hard, forcing down whatever that was trying to rise up through her throat. She might have been used to the sight by now, but the putrid smell was something she would never get used to. Following the stink of rust, the brunette was welcomed by Tamsin.

"Took you long enough," the blonde detective huffed. "Wolf boy is waiting for you inside."

Bo rolled her eyes and muttered her thanks, striding in step with her till they reached the body.

"That's a deep cut," Bo commented, her face twisting in disgust at the decapitation that never happened.

"Jiona Asha, 33, lawyer for Dow, Birkett and Hobbs," Dyson explained. "We were tipped off by an anonymous caller again. CSU is trying to figure out what killed her."

"A huge-ass knife, perhaps?" Bo still wore the blatant distaste at the sight before her.

"Thanks for the input, Captain Obvious," Tamsin snorted. "What kind of knife?"

Bo saw Dyson shoot the blonde a look before he continued, "Could it be an axe?"

"No, too clean," Bo leaned closer to examine the cut.

Both detectives raised an eyebrow in question, asking at the same time, "How do yo - "

"I know a thing or two about knives, remember?" the succubus patted her thigh where her dagger sat in its sheath. "Also, the angle is all wrong for an axe. Probably a machete, or something with magic."

While Dyson made some notes on the file, Tamsin joined Bo to examine the body.

"You think it's connected?" Bo shot an inquiring look at the blonde. "I mean with Desmond Pereza?"

Tamsin shrugged, "I'm not sure. But this is too brutal for it to be simply a break-in gone wrong. Hell, it looks like a message to me, but wolf boy's not buying that."

Bo looked at the body again and suppressed her need to throw up. Time to get to work, she sighed inwardly. The stark nakedness of the woman seemed excessive. There was no need to strip the body if the killer was just going to try to cut her head off. There was no need to leave her chained on the chair or the door to her apartment open for all to see either or even the gag in her mouth. Unless…

"Shame," she breathed, reaching the conclusion.

"What?" Dyson glanced up at her.

"This, this whole thing," she waved her arms, "it's all for the sake of humiliation. It's too posed - being bound to the chair naked, being gagged. Tamsin's right, it's a message."

"For who?" Dyson immediately shot back. "This isn't a message, Bo. It's just another murder no one can solve. CSU found a partial footprint that didn't belong to her and," he checked their surroundings for humans before he lowered his voice, "I caught the scent again, the one from Pereza's place."

"Exactly!" Bo exclaimed, somewhat excited at the prospect of moving the case along. "As for the message, I don't know yet but this is definitely connected Dyson."

"All right, I'll set up some meetings with people. Tamsin, do me a favour and contact the family."

"What? Dude, again? I did Pereza!" Tamsin whined as she whipped out her phone, consoling the family members of the deceased is the last thing anyone wants to do.

"Speaking of him, I need a favour too," Bo pulled out her phone. "I need to find a Jemma Williams, a dancer at Vesuvius."

"We're not your personal meal delivery, succubus," Tamsin interrupted.

Bo ignored the other detective, "My sources tell me that she's the last person to see Pereza alive. Maybe we can get something out of her."

Dyson looked like he wanted to say something but Bo flashed him her million watt smile and watched as his face softened. She felt bad for baiting him like that but she just wanted to wrap all this murder up as soon as possible, so she could be away from all this blood and possibly get back to getting Lauren some help.

As Dyson hollered for the Crime Scene Unit, Bo found herself lost in her thoughts again. Was this the evil Deino mentioned? Or is this a completely unrelated case? If this was what the old woman was speaking of, should she be running away instead of diving head first into the mess?

"Bo?" Dyson tapped her shoulder. "Bo, you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, sorry," Bo shook herself out of her reverie. "Just lots of things on my mind."

"You could talk to me," he offered, leading them to her car. "I do owe you a beer for being such an asshole that day."

"I'm not sure, Dyson, I don't th - "

"Come on, Bo, you have to forgive me some time," the shifter pleaded, throwing her one of his wolfish grins.

"Fine, this Friday," she gave in, hopping into the car. "Just remember to find Jemma Williams. Oh, and I'm bringing Kenzi along."

Dyson grimaced a little as Bo returned his confident grin. Kenzi could drink the whole bar and he knew all the alcohol at the Dál would not suffice. Before he could voice his protest, she drove off.

"Dude, you are so whipped," Tamsin chuckled as she walked towards her truck.


	12. Looking Too Closely

Lauren spun around in her stool, pouting as she sat at her desk. The Ash had ordered her to hand over her work and gave her strict orders to take the rest of the week off. Did he even know that this was just as bad as being sent to the dungeons for her? She was getting bored out of her mind and it had only been one day!

She had spent the day cleaning up her apartment and clearing all the things she had left overdue on her to-do list. The apartment was now spotless, the kitchen had nary a speck of dust, and her bedroom looked like it belonged in a show flat. Each of the plants on the wall-planter was watered and re-categorized according to function instead of name like before. New petri dishes had replaced the stack of old, mouldy cultures on her desk, each labelled neatly and placed in correct environments. Calls had been made to secure the needed items for the Light fae labs.

There was simply nothing else left for her to do.

Lauren contemplated watching television for a while, letting the mind-numbing programs do what it was designed to as she savoured the taste of the new bottle of red she had purchased. Or maybe she could bake those delicious muffins her mom had taught her how. Or maybe she should just call it a day since she had already accomplished so much. But she was loath to just spend another night in.

She sighed as she hopped off the stool and began to put on her jacket.

She descended the two necessary floors to the entrance of her labs. Stopping herself before she pressed the key card against the scanner, she made a detour and found herself in a cab on the way to the Dál. She had promised Bo earlier that week a drink anyway, and even if Bo isn't there, she needed to speak to Trick.

Bo Dennis reminded her of someone. But she knew it could not be who she thought it was. Logically, it's not possible. Logically, it made no sense. The intensity in the brunette's eyes said it all. But all Lauren knew was that there was a deep emotional connection to her, something new, fresh, and borne out of one of those epic love stories.

Had they been in love? Had they been in a relationship?

But before the blonde could come to any conclusions, the cab stopped outside the familiar wooden doors of the Dál. Upon entering, she was greeted with an upbeat Irish track, complete with the strumming of guitars and swift violin accompaniment. Finding a seat at the bar, Trick smiled when he saw the good doctor.

"Dr. Lewis! How are you feeling today?" Trick greeted.

"I'll have an ale, Trick, and thanks for asking, I'm much better."

"One ale coming up!" Trick nodded and a bottle slided up to her a minute later.

While Trick was busy bustling about with the influx of the evening crowd, Lauren sat and just enjoyed the cozy atmosphere of the way-station. She had been fortunate enough to have visited the famous pub once or twice when she needed Trick's fae medical expertise. The place had not changed much, though she knew she was reconciling this fact with two years that had passed.

She sipped her ale as she tapped lightly on her phone, answering emails and catching up on the latest medical journals. Absent-mindedly, she toyed with the necklace as she swiped through her iPhone. Her eyes widened slightly as she read through the texts sent between Bo and herself. They had been flirting over the past few weeks, nothing substantial yet but there was _something_.

As she scrolled upwards to see their earlier exchanges, Lauren felt the beginning of a headache. She massaged her temples as she frowned, line after line of irrefutable proof that Bo had been more to her than just a patient. Why had Bo not said anything? Why had no one mentioned anything?

Her head was swimming with questions by the time she finished looking through all the messages, the strong ale amplified her confusion. Queries raced in her mind as she wondered what exactly happened. The texts stopped on the night before she had been admitted to the Light's hospital, and by the lack of exchanges between her and Bo hours beforehand, she could only assume that she was with Bo.

_I need to talk to her_, Lauren thought as she threw some money on the bar top. But as fate would have it, it was the exact moment the brunette walked in with, what Lauren can only assume is, this Kenzi person in tow. The headache manifested itself again.

The last words she managed to catch were "Hey Doc!" before she collapsed.

* * *

Gifre Gier had never been more happy in his life. He watched the woman in front of him complete her signature as he quelled his need to smirk. Just another day, just another stupid suburban soccer mom signing over her child's entire college fund over to him to do as he pleased.

He mentally patted himself on the back for another con gone smoothly. Gifre thanked the lady, holding her hands for longer than necessary as he winked at her. He was almost sure she blushed. Suburban moms, the best targets for any sort of scheme and this was his most brilliant one yet. No one was going to suspect such a good-looking man like himself to possible want to whisk away their life-savings into an offshore account in the Bahamas.

Did he need the money? Perhaps not. Did he like having money? A definite yes and it was always good to have more. The thrill of watching these gullible people sign their money over to him _willingly_ was what he wanted. That power and control he had over them momentarily was exhilarating.

He sat, grinning wildly in his car. In one hand, he held the documents in his hand, in the other, his well-manicured fingers were dialing the numbers he had already memorized by heart.

"Such a brilliant mind."

Gifre froze, his finger hovered over the touchscreen.

"It'll be a pity for you to lose it all."

"Now hold on," Gifre glanced up into the rear-view mirror. "We can talk about this."

The shapeless, hooded figure behind him chuckled, "Now what would we be talking about, _Avaritia_?"

"What? Do I know you?" Gifre began to panic.

He knew his schemes would have caught up with him one day but this, this felt different. It did not feel like an old debt waiting to be settled; no, it felt personal, familiar, like somehow the person _knew_ him. And what had they called him? Avaritia? What was that? Finnish? Italian?

"Oh but you've done so well, old friend, putting that brilliant mind of yours to good use and all that money!" the shadow sucked in a breath that was supposed to sound like a whistle. "What a pity."

"What a pity for what?"

Gifre only dared to move his eyes. He glanced left and right, searching for a way out, somehow fast enough to elude this delusional maniac behind him. He knew he would not be fast enough to undo his seatbelt and make a run for the door, neither was he at an advantage where he could harm the person behind him. His only tools were now a few sheets of loose paper and his iPhone.

"Check your accounts," the figure leaned forward, their head precariously close to Gifre's side.

"I can give you anything you want. Anything, just name it. As long as you let me go. Please."

If his clipped sentences did not convey his fear, his tone betrayed it all. But he could not get another sentence out as he felt a blinding pain below his left shoulder.

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled.

"Check your accounts, _Avaritia_," the voice repeated, calmly as though nothing happened in the past minute.

Gifre obeyed, quickly tapping on his phone to access his bank account. Things looked normal in his daily accounts, the ones he used as a front for his assumed persona. He thought to make a remark but decided to check his offshore account just in case.

"No," the con man's eye bulged. "No, that can't be!"

The screen read that his account had been cleared out, in the matter of minutes he had taken to walk to his car. The big, red zero glared up at him mockingly. He desperately refreshed the page, but all it could display was the cruel numeral, taunting him. The figure behind him began to laugh, it was grating and hollow.

"Fuck you, you asshole! What did I do to you? What did you do?"

The laughter continued, if not harder. Gifre struggled against his wounded shoulder, turning around to face the bastard. He made the mistake to turn and look into the deep, soulless black eyes of his unwanted companion. But that was clearly the wrong move, as he felt gloved hands reach the sides of his head.

* * *

"_Again_?" the succubus whined as she hauled Lauren bridal-style into Trick's study. "What happened now?"

"Man, I knew you were something, Bobolicious, but she literally fell flat at your feet the moment you walked in!" Kenzi snorted as she set about looking through Trick's collection of all things peculiar.

Before Bo could defend herself, Trick started his examination of the blonde as she laid peacefully on his couch. The brunette watched eagerly as he tried to determine what was wrong with the woman. She had a good day: the link between the murders was weak but voice recognition software allowed them to compare both anonymous tips and it was a match. All she had wanted when she walked into the bar was her small victory drink, courtesy of Dyson.

"She's alive," Trick concluded his examination. "But her body seems to have shut down."

"Can we wake her up?" Bo hovered over the unconscious blonde.

"I can try," Trick went deeper into his study. "Kenzi, stop touching that!"

Bo heard her best friend and her grandfather bickering away but tuned them out as she gently swept the few stray strands that covered Lauren's face. Tracing the strong jawline, her mind wandered, trying to fathom how this could have happened again. The first time, Lauren was so close to figuring out who she was; this time, like Kenzi said, she made eye contact with the blonde who immediately passed out.

There was not much but Bo concluded that she was definitely the key in this. She needed to wrap her case up fast so she could question the old hag in Vesuvius.

Trick came back with a small bubbling stone bowl. It reeked of death and rot and Bo could not help but make a face as he scooped a healthy amount of the grey goop and placed it in a flask. From his pocket, he retrieved a tiny vial and dripped two bright green droplets into the flask, making it hiss and the odour to become unbearable.

"Oh ugh, what is that Trick?" Bo and Kenzi asked simultaneously, disgust riddling their faces.

"Nothing I can mention in polite company but it'll work," Trick shrugged and placed the olfactory-offensive object under the blonde's nose.

Lauren woke up coughing and choking, flailing about as Trick deftly stepped out of the way. The succubus rushed to her rescue.

"Hey there. Slow down, it's okay," Bo reassured the woman, rubbing slow, calming circles.

Bo did not even realize her friend had disappeared but was thankful when Kenzi dashed back in with a glass of water. The blonde looked horrified, scared as the trembling hands brought the glass to her lips. She had not said a word yet and Bo watched on with bated breath, though she was feeling better since the scare. But honestly, she was dreading re-introducing herself to Lauren again, if the previous time was any proof.

"Uh, Lauren?" Bo gathered her courage and tested the grounds.

The blonde's eyes immediately shot to her, though fearful for a moment, they relaxed considerably as she slowly seemed to recognize the brunette. Bo thought this was an encouraging sign to continue.

"Welcome back, thought we lost you again for a minute," She have the blonde a soft smile. "What happened?"

As Lauren opened her mouth to answer, loud footsteps cascaded down the stairs making all that were in the small room turn to look.

"Sorry, am I interrupting?" Dyson questioned, his eyes focused on Bo.

Bo shifted her gaze from the newcomer to Lauren, who still looked shaken but gave her a nod. Returning the nod, she silently ushered Dyson out to the bar but already found Tamsin there, nursing a beer. She made a quick swipe behind the counter and presented one of the beers to the man.

"Everything okay? Trick doesn't usually leave this incompetent idiot in charge," the valkyrie waved at the struggling waitress.

"Yeah," Bo muttered absent-mindedly, her tone was monotonous. "What did you want?"

"And here I thought we could get along, succubus," Tamsin rolled her eyes as she threw a file on the table before walking off towards the pool table. "Wolf, join me when you're done playing Prince Charming."

Bo flipped the file as Dyson spoke, "Found a Jemma Williams, situated two streets from Pereza. We tried calling her home phone but no one picked up and she didn't have a handphone listed."

"Do you think she's still there?"

"I'm not sure, Bo," Dyson let out a sigh. "I can't even be sure this isn't a false lead. Who told you this?"

"Veronica Velpar. She said Pereza and Jemma were close, bordering a proper relationship," Bo wet her lips with the malt liquid. "At least that was what I thought she was hinting at."

"I've already put out a search on her, our patrols know what she looks like - "

"So there's no harm in me having a look-see over at her place then?"

"Not technically," the detective smiled. "just the usual no breaking-and-entering stuff, but be careful. Maybe I should come along."

"I can handle myself, thanks Dyson."

The reply was curt and Bo felt bad for it. So she added, "If I need help I'll call okay?"

The shifter nodded, seemingly appeased. They spoke briefly about the case, how the kill was beginning to make more sense as a message since Bo had spotted it. Even looking at Desmond Pereza's lack of body, the way everything was so old and untouched except for the splattered bits, the way it was so excessive; the message was clear: Pereza needed to be eliminated; squashed like a bug. The conversation shifted into a lull as they both glanced at a gleeful valkyrie who probably had successfully hustled another player.

"Is the hu -," Dyson corrected himself. "The doctor. Is she okay?"

"She has a name," Bo folded her arms. "And yes, Lauren's okay, she was just dizzy."

They each took a sip in silence. The succubus wondered why Dyson had not offered to help. Being human could not have been the main reason the shifter was denying her his aid.

"So what's the deal between both of you?" Bo pushed gently. "What exactly do you have against her?"

"She's the Ward of the Ash, Bo," he shook his head. "Whatever she says and does goes back to him. She is smart, she uses him to get what she wants. I should know."

"What? What does that even mean?"

"I - I don't want you to think badly of me, Bo, but this was before I met Kenzi, before I met you. I was everything a wolf should be: alone, deadly, cold. I was - I am the best the Ash has," he sipped his beer slowly.

"I was his security head before Serena, that fire fae. Things happened and I was replaced."

Bo only looked at him in confusion, she had no words at the moment.

He sighed, "The main reason I was removed from that position was because I exacted punishment to the doctor that let the woman I loved die."

"I mean - I just - Dr. Lewis - Lauren, she was taking care of Ciara. She," Dyson rubbed the back of his neck. "Ciara was a fairy queen, but more than that, she was beautiful and brave. An attempt on her life put her in a coma, not unlike yours, and I took it out on the person who pulled the plug."

"But that's not - "

He ran a hand through his blonde curls, visibly distressed. "I know, Bo, but Ciara - she was fading every day we didn't let the forest reclaim her body. I was so, so angry. I was furious and after a few drinks, I went to the compound to demand justice."

"Only you didn't find any, because the Ash had already summoned me to the dungeons."

"I - "

The pair turned to look at Lauren and Kenzi who were emerging from the alcove from Trick's study. Dyson growled, the retelling of his heartbreak and seeing Lauren reignited his anger. He stood up abruptly, the bar stool groaned in protest.

"Dyson you need to leave right now," Bo stood, placing a hand on his chest to stop him.

He did not care. He swatted her hand away, taking another step towards the doctor.

Bo dropped her hands to her side and balled her fists. Moving quickly to match the number of steps he took forward, the brunette placed herself between them. She understood pain and rage, but "exacting punishment" when the cause of said pain lay in reasons beyond the abilities of medicine and science was unforgivable. She had her moments as well, of course, when she wanted to watch the world burn in hellfire, but taking it out on a car like Kenzi had taught her was just as satisfying.

"But Bo, I - "

"I know how this ends: you blame her for the loss of Ciara, of your job, of your pride. You took it out on her and you've been doing that since."

"You don't understand Bo, she told him! She told him everything!" he made to advance upon the doctor, but again was stopped by Bo. "We've had our differences before but I respected her! She told him I was there, and probably exaggerated her injuries! That's what she'll do to you, Bo, she'll betray you to her masters!"

Lauren visibly flinched at the words, but her voice was even, clinical and cold, as she replied. "I didn't tell him, Dyson, I didn't tell him anything. You were only caught because you missed turning off one of the cameras - the one that was right outside my cell."

"You're lying!"

The rest of the pub's patrons who had stayed for what seemed to be a prelude to an exciting night were chased out by Tamsin and a well-wielded pool cue.

"You were drunk that night Dyson, you weren't thinking clearly," the doctor stated cooly.

Dyson's features twisted in agony, "You took her from me! The Ash didn't give the order!"

"Do you think that I would even _act_ without the Ash's permission?" Bo could feel the disgust Lauren felt as the words left her mouth.

"She's admitting it! Everything she does is in the name of the Ash! She'll take you away from me!"

"What?" Bo's eyes widened. "Is this what this is about? Dyson, I get it, wolves mate for life - "

"No, you don't, Bo! You don't! I had ONE chance. Just _one _and I chose you! I lost Ciara and I swore I would never let that happen again. You said you're mine! We are going to be happy!"

"I have never once said that."

"You are my mate!" Dyson roared.

"Listen, I feel bad for you, I really do. But I may be your mate, but you can't just claim me as your own! This isn't a game, Dyson! Nobody owns me!" Bo yelled, her eyes flaring blue at the man who was beginning to shift.

"Look at you, Bo! Look at yourself! Are you going to fight me because of _her_?" Dyson gestured wildly. "Who is she? Who are _you_?! I don't even know you anymore!"

Bo glared at the man, clenching her jaw, she began to reply, "No, Dyson, you don't. You just don't know what I look like when I'm not in love with you."


End file.
